KFP Next Gen: With a Vengeance
by jweaks2016
Summary: Training under the previous heroes of the Jade Palace, a new team of warriors rise to take their place. When the son of Tai Lung arrives and prepares to have his revenge for his father's death, the new team must face the challenge and stop him. But will their first mission be their last? And Overlord, the most dangerous villain in China, sets their plan of conquest into motion.
1. The Children of the Masters

**Hey everyone! It's here! The first chapter of the new series! You've waited for this, and here it is!**

**Ah, it feels good to be back. I've had a nice break and have had time to stock my head full of twists and turns for THE WHOLE SERIES!**

**Thanks to Fox Mcloud SNR and M4dG4rl for editing this chapter! I really appreciate it! I urge you guys to check out their stories as well! I'll give a shout out to Animation Universe 2005 and SpiritualLoneWolf XIII when I introduce their OCs, which will not be in this chapter or even five chapters from now.**

**I know you're excited to read this already, so I'll just shut up now…**

*With nineteen year-old Tang, in the Jade Palace*

A young panda; the adopted son of Tigress and Po wandered to the kitchen to prepare himself a snack of dumplings and rice. Tang was a little shorter than Po, but other than that was a spitting image of his father. The only difference though, were the three gold bands on Tang's right arm and he the fact that he wore light green pants instead of his dad's usual tattered and poorly stitched ones.

The panda reached into the pantry and brought out a jar of rice and began to set up a small fire to cook them. Just then, a lion/tiger mix walked into the kitchen, seemingly talking to himself.

"No! N—NO! Shut up, Los! We're just friends! No, she won't! If I get you something to eat, will you drop it? Good!" The teen hissed. "Hey there, dude, what're ya making? Smells amazing…"

The son of Kiro Takimuro, a white tiger, and the legendary kung-fu master Mei Ling, Dega was one of the best fighters around. Trained under his mother and receiving the reckless attitude from his father made him a deadly opponent. His fur was light brown and he was dressed in all grey with his two swords strapped to his back. Also, when the teen was born, a spirit took its chance to harbor inside of him and provide him with, often bad, advice. The ghost's name was Los and had been an unpredictable, reckless bobcat that fought alongside Dega's father.

"Oh no ya don't. Not this time! You can tell your spirit friend that if he wants more food, he's gotta have you go make it yourself. You're not mooching off me again!" Tang said as he moved the ingredients away from the walking vacuum.

"Aw, come on! You know I can't cook! Besides, it's the only way I can get Los to get off my back about…" The tiger whined.

"About…?"

"Never mind! Just give me some food! I need him to shut up!"

"Then go down to Grandpa Ping's noodle shop!"

Dega stopped and thought for a moment. "Not a bad idea…"

The tiger turned and jogged out of the kitchen. Tang looked out the window to see his tiger friend summon a sled and surf down the palace stairs, only to lose his balance and go tumbling down the rest of the way, hitting his head on multiple occasions.

"Wouldn't be the first time he hit his head." A feminine voice stated.

Tang turned to see Dega's sister, Lupa, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Lupa was an eighteen year-old tiger/lion mix with white fur, but had a different personality than her brother. While he liked to fight and mess around with the others in the palace, Lupa liked to spend her time brushing up on her fighting skills using her claws. She was like the younger version of Tigress, except nicer. She was the wise-cracker and sassy one of the new breed of warriors.

"Oh, hey Lupa. Didn't see ya standing over there." Tang replied.

"Where was my brother going?"

"Oh, I wouldn't let him have any of my food, so he decided to head down to Grandpa Ping's for some noodles. I'm sure he'll be back soon." The panda answered, turning back to his meal.

"Well, if anyone asks, just tell them that I'm in my room practicing." Lupa said over her shoulder as she walked away.

"You're always practicing! I swear, sometimes it's like you wanna be just like my mom!" Tang stated as he poured the rice into a bowl of water and placed it over the fire.

She turned back around and faced the panda. "Sashi told me to tell you to be nice."

"Yeah, yeah. Sashi can't do anything about it!" Tang called from over his shoulder.

"She's already told me eight ways that I could incapacitate you just from using that bowl of hot water."

Tang turned around to face Lupa. "I'm not sure which spirit has more issues. It's either Los, or Sashi. Los is annoying at times, but your ghost friend is violent!"

Sashi was also a spirit who harbored in Lupa's head. Unlike Los, Sashi was a female wolf and a tactical genius when it came to battle. She too, had fought with Kiro way back when. Now, the ghost gives Lupa tactical combat advice.

"If you're nice to her, she'll be nice to you!" The tiger lion called as she turned and walked away.

*With Lupa*

As the warrior rounded the corner of the hall of the barracks, she noticed a female snake whose head was buried in a book.

_Typical Lily. She just plows through one of those every day!_ Lupa thought as she walked up to the snake.

"Hey Lily! What're you reading?"

Lily was the daughter of Crane and Viper and was the brains of the team. She always was reading up on different bits of information, and her kung-fu was just as impressive as her ability to learn. She was, however, extremely shy when it came to boys and stammered uncontrollably when it came to talking to them. She even had trouble talking to Dega and Tang. The only two she didn't have a problem with was he brother, Zan, and her dad, Crane.

The snake jumped a little at the sound of her voice. "Oh geez Lupa, don't scare me like that! Uh…Oh never mind. That wasn't important anyway! To answer your question, I'm reading about battle strategies that were used by the Japanese a couple centuries ago. Quiet fascinating really! The way that they formed themselves so that it was almost impossible to penetrate their defenses…"

Lupa was starting to fall asleep just listening to Lily go on about different formations. The warrior forced herself to stay awake and waited until Lily had finished her explanation. "Ya know Lily, I should take you out so you can meet a nice guy! That'd do you some good!"

"Oh…Uh…No, that's fine! Thanks, but no one would want to date a brainy person like myself. No, knowledge is my mate!" The snake replied.

_Eventually I'm gonna set her up with someone…_ Lupa thought to herself.

"Alright then! I'll leave you to your studies! If anyone asks, I'm training." The tiger lion stated.

"Again? Geez, you train more than Master Tigress!" Lily responded, rolling her eyes.

Lupa just shook her head before she walked into her room.

*With Dega*

"AUGH!" The male tiger lion shouted in agony as he slammed into the ground at the bottom of the stairs.

_Note to self, never do that again…_

_Who're you kidding? We both know that you will because it's AWESOME! _Los shouted.

_Heh. Yeah, I guess you're right._

_Now, unless you want me to bring up L—_

Los was cut off by Dega suddenly.

_FINE! We'll go get some food! I wish that there was some way to mute you sometimes…_ The tiger lion thought.

Dega made his way through the busy streets of the valley. Merchants shouted at potential customers, claiming that they had the best deal; Shopkeepers were busy selling merchandise in their shops to consumers; Restaurants boomed with happy and cheerful customers. The sun shone down on the valley, clothing the entire village in its bright light. Blue sky stretched out across the land and the smell of lotus blossoms flowed through the air. Yes, it truly was a great day to be alive.

Soon, the tiger lion made his way to his grandpa's noodle shop.

"Heyo, gramps!" Dega greeted.

"Oh! Dega! So nice to see you again! How've you been? You look so thin! I'll prepare some food!" Mr. Ping exclaimed as he rushed around the kitchen.

Only a few customers sat and quietly ate in the noodle restaurant.

"Slow day?" Dega asked, looking around.

"Yes…People just aren't craving noodles today! However, I've come up with a new idea for a recipe! Here, try this!" The goose replied as he set down a bowl of steaming yellow liquid.

"Uh, what is it?" Dega asked unsurely.

"Oh, go on! Just try it!" Mr. Ping pressured.

The tiger lion slowly picked up the bowl and took a little sip of the liquid. It tasted tangy yet had a mild cheddar background to it. Whatever it was, Dega liked it.

_MORE! I WANT MORE!_ Los shouted.

_You always want more food. If I don't limit you, I'll be the size of Po!_ Dega scolded.

"Well? What do you think?" The goose asked with hope.

"It tastes great! What is it?"

"Seasoned potatoes in a broth and cheddar mix! I figure that if I put this out on the menu, hungry customers will come flooding in!"

"Sounds like a great idea! Uh, can I have two Dragon Warrior sized dumplings and a bowl of that new soup?" Dega asked.

"Coming right up!"

Soon, the goose had prepared a new batch of his special soup and placed two large dumplings on the counter.

"That'll be twenty yuangs." Mr. Ping stated flatly.

"But I'm practically your grandson! A little cheaper?" Dega whined.

"Fork it over…" The goose commanded, motioning for his money.

*With Xin*

Xin, a snow leopard, was dressed in a silver cape and hood and a black shirt with pants. The wind howled and made his cape flap in the air, but the leopard lowered his hood and kept moving. As the snow leopard made his way across the Yen Desert on his way to the Valley of Peace, his mind began to pulse with fragments of flashbacks from his childhood.

*In Xin's flashbacks*

"I'm going to take what's rightfully mine! No one will stand in my way!" His father roared.

"Please think rationally! You'll go to jail! You're no match for them!" His mother pleaded.

The flashback shifted and the last thing Xin saw before shooting back to reality was his father walking away from his family, bent on taking what he believed was rightfully his.

*In reality*

Xin snapped his head back and he collapsed to his knees. His head was throbbing and his heart was racing. Sand swept across his body and some got in his eyes, making the snow leopard howl in pain and rub his eyes furiously. He hated this place.

The snow leopard stood up and continued to press on towards the Valley of Peace. Haunted by fragments of his past, Xin had only one goal: Kill the people responsible for his father's death.

"I will avenge you, father…" The leopard muttered to himself as he pressed onward.

*With Kiro*

The adult white tiger halted in front of Lupa's door and knocked. He heard his daughter practicing her skills and slowly opened the door. Lupa spun around in mid-air and slammed her feet into a wooden dummy before calmly landing.

"Impressive!" He stated.

"Dad! Don't you EVER knock?" Lupa complained.

_But you DID knock!_ Song exclaimed from within his head.

_Let it go…_ Kiro thought.

Long ago, the heroes of the Jade Palace went on a rescue mission to save Kiro from the grasp of Grandmaster Feng, who was the leader of China's criminals. The grandmaster even had the emperor of China as his pawn, which explained why the baddies got out of prison so fast. Unexpectedly, Feng captured and killed Song, who was Kiro's girlfriend at the time. After the battle was over, Song was apparently put inside of the white tiger's subconscious forever.

"I was wondering if you and your brother wanted to go to the theater or play some Chinese checkers tonight!" The white tiger said, interlocking his fingers.

"Dad! You know that kids my age don't do that stuff anymore! That's for little kids and babies! We like to go out to parties and hang out these days!" Lupa exclaimed before whacking another dummy.

"Well I was just wondering… I mean your mother and I barely see you or your brother any more. We just thought it'd be nice if we could…I don't know… have a family night?" Kiro added in a hurt voice.

"Maybe some other time, dad. I'm going to hang out with Sin and Kai tonight at Pit's house!" His daughter answered.

"I see…Well, I guess I'll…let you get back to your training." The white tiger murmured before walking out of her room and shutting the door.

Once outside of his daughter's room, Kiro sighed deeply and slowly made his way back to his and Mei Ling's room. He flopped down on their bed and shut his eyes briefly.

_Don't worry, Kiro. She'll hang out with you eventually. _Song reassured.

"Yeah, I know Song, but I'm…I'm losing my baby girl." The white tiger replied sadly.

*With Tang, later that night*

"Hey, has anyone seen Zan? I haven't seen him all day!" The young panda asked his friends, who were sitting at the dinner table eating their meal.

"I don't know, cuz. He must still be sleeping or something." Dega responded before biting into his sandwich and chewing so everyone could see.

"Manners?" Lupa hinted.

"Wha? Iph you don' like ih, don' watch!" The male tiger lion stated with food flying out of his mouth.

"Don't you remember? He got dumped by his old girlfriend, Seng-Fi. He must still be heartbroken!" Lily cut in.

"Poor guy. I'll bring him some food. He must be starving!" Tang exclaimed before scooping some mashed potatoes onto a plate and grabbing a bowl of dumplings.

As Tang started to walk off to Zan's room, a knock sounded throughout the Jade Palace. Monkey walked over and opened the door.

"Kai! How nice to see you again! You brought you're brother Sin along also! How…nice!" The chimp exclaimed.

"Nice to see you again, Master Monkey. May we come in?" A suave voice asked.

Monkey motioned for them to come in and two foxes walked into the palace. The two brothers made a b-line for the heroes who were eating as soon as they saw them.

Kai was a handsome, intelligent, and strong orange fox who was kind to everyone he met. He never carried grudges against anyone and was always eager to have fun. He was dressed in a purple shirt and black pants, which was held up by a gold buckle.

His brother, Sin, was the complete opposite of Kai. Sin was a dark brown fox who was moderately handsome, intelligent, and strong. He always carried grudges against people and was constantly looking for a fight. Despite all of this, though, he was nice most of the time, just quick tempered. Sin was dressed in all black with a gold X running through the middle of his shirt and down to the edges.

Both brothers had a crush on Lupa.

"Ready to go, Lu?" Kai asked.

"Sure! See ya guys!" The female tiger lion called out as she began to walk out of the palace with the two guys.

Dega made kissing noises until his sister had made her way out of their home.

"Can you believe that? She actually enjoys being made over by those two! I can't believe it!" Dega exclaimed, turning to Lily.

Lily realized that they were the only two left at the table. "Well, statistically, Kai has a better chance of dating your sister than Sin due to their compatibility towards one another."

"Whatever you say, professor! You could say that they find her FOXY!" Dega joked.

Lily just stared at him blankly.

"Get it? Foxy? 'Cause they're…"

Dega realized that Lily still wasn't getting the joke. The tiger lion's head slumped down and he sighed. To avoid making an awkward moment, he decided to ask Lily about one of her favorite topics.

"What's new in the world of knowledge?"

"Oh! I'm so glad you asked!" The snake exclaimed excitedly. "You see, a great Chinese physiologist his just made a tremendous discovery of…"

_Why did you ask that, Dega? Why?_ The teen thought to himself.

_Thanks a lot, bro! I have to sit through this now!_ Los whined.

_Aw, shut up! You can surf some waves or play games in the afterlife! I'm stuck here!_ Dega shot.

_But I thought you—_

_Didn't I tell you to DROP IT earlier? Hm?_ The tiger lion thought.

*With Xin*

"Excuse me," Xin asked, coming upon an elderly goat, "But do you know how far away the Valley of Peace is?"

"Oh! It's about a three day journey west!" The goat croaked.

"Thank you for your help! Sorry to bother you!" The leopard apologized before continuing his quest.

He observed his surroundings slowly. Traveling through a dark and almost abandoned forest at night was dangerous and stupid, but Xin had to keep moving, even if he did run into bandits. He had to stop these flashbacks. They'd be the death of him if they continued.

"Three days…" The snow leopard murmured to himself before continuing to plunge through the forest.

He must kill the people who destroyed his father.

He didn't know his father's name; only what he looked like.

However, one name guided him along his journey.

One that made people stay clear of him.

**There it is! The first chapter of the new story! Hope you guys enjoyed it! I still have to introduce Zan to you all, so I'll do that in the next chapter! **

**Since this one was extremely long, the next few chapters will be shorter!**

**Again, thanks to M4dG4rl and Fox Mcloud SNR for editing this chapter! Sorry it was so long and boring, guys!**

**And to you all, sorry that it was so boring and not really action packed. It'll pick up though as the story moves on. I had to introduce everyone first.**

**Remember to leave a review!**

**Follow/favorite it if you like it that much already!**

**More to come…**


	2. A Threat in Hiding

**Hey everyone! This chapter and the next one are still gonna be introducing the OCs. I mean come on, there's a ton of them. Between mine, AU2005's, and SLW XIII's, there're a lot! I'm now going to introduce Zan and some of AU2005's OCs in this one. There will be hints and clues as to what happens later in the story AND the series in the two chapters!**

**Not all of the chapters are going to be edited by Fox Mcloud SNR and M4d Gr4l, because it takes super long and they have their own stories to write. It'll be certain chapters that I choose to have edited from here on out.**

**Enjoy the next chapter!**

*With Lupa, at the theater*

Once at the theater, Sin decided to escort Lupa to her seat while Kai bought the snacks.

"I'll see you guys in their soon!" The orange fox called out as he got in line.

The theater wasn't as massive as it once had been, or so Lupa was told. Her father told her that this particular place had been destroyed previously two times; once when a deranged wolverine took the valley and most of China by storm, and another time when a Japanese army of tigers almost turned their home to rubble. The building was about three stories high with gold statues out in front. The walls were red and gold and the entire room was dimly lit by a chandelier that hung from the ceiling. Hundreds of seats were lined in front of the moderately sized wooden stage.

As the two made their way to their spots, a teenage goat and his date plopped down in the seats that Kai, Sin, and Lupa were supposed to sit.

"Excuse me, but I think you're in the wrong seat. Those are ours." Sin stated.

The goat scrunched up his face in disgust. "Well, they're ours now. Why don't you tuck your tail between your legs and beat it!"

Sin barred his teeth and took a step towards the goat, but Lupa stuck her arm out and stopped him.

"Let me try." She whispered. "Sorry to have bothered you, but our tickets do say that these are our seats. Maybe you could slide over a couple of seats?"

This time, it was the female goat's turn to make a snide remark. "Oh, are you gonna make us get up from these spots, princess? How 'bout you take your sorry butt back home and do your nails or something!"

Lupa growled and dropped her arm that was holding Sin back. Fury shot through the brown fox's blood as he stormed up to the two goats.

"Where're your seats, huh?" He snarled, snatching their tickets. "Seats eight and nine in row H? Come on, I'll show you where those are, since you obviously got lost!"

He flung the two goats over his shoulder and marched up to the seats where they were supposed to be.

"You sit here…" Sin barked, tossing the boy goat into his chair, then proceeded to do the same with the girl, "And you sit here… Now, if either of you two get up from your seat to steal someone else's, I won't be so nice! Got that, pumpkins?"

The two goats nodded rapidly, fear in their eyes.

Sin smiled, showing all of his sharp, long, bright white teeth. "Good. Enjoy the play!"

*With Tang, in Zan's room*

"Zan? Buddy? You in there?" Tang asked from outside of the bird's room.

Zan, a crane, was the son of Crane and Viper and the brother of Lily. He was able to control the wind, like his father, and was the kind and lighthearted one of the new team. He was known as "the eye in the sky," since he was usually the lookout for any danger.

"Yeah. I'm in here. Come in." He heard the avian whisper.

Tang slowly opened the door and peered into his friend's room. Bonsai trees lined the tables, waiting to be cut; paintings hung from the walls and the bird's signature wooden flute sat in a corner. Like his father, Zan was obsessed with the fine arts.

The young teen stood in a corner, slowly trimming one of his bonsai trees.

"You feeling alright? I brought ya food." Tang stated, setting the meal on a nearby table.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've been thinking Tang; girls come and go, but I'll be who I am forever. There is only one girl I know who is always nice to me and accepts me for who I am." Zan explaned.

"Your mom?"

"No!"

"Lily?"

"NO! Why are you guessing my family?"

"No reason. Just throwing out guesses…" Tang replied, twiddling his thumbs. "So, who's this mystery girl?"

"Well, I'm not ready to tell her yet, but now realize that I've been trying to find different girls who're just like her, because I know she'd never go for me. This past one was just like that." Zan stalled.

"You forget her name?"

"Her name isn't important to me anymore. Only one name is."

"Dude, spill it. Who is it?"

"Lupa."

"WHAT?" Dega shouted, sticking his head through the door. "MY SISTER?"

Zan rushed over, tackled the tiger lion to the ground, and clamped his wing over his friend's mouth. "Could you talk any louder? What're you doing outside my room?"

"Mpphmphm! Mphphphmmmphp, mphmppfpf mp m mpf." Dega mumbled.

Zan rolled his eyes and removed his wing.

"I was coming to console you about your break up, bro. I can't believe you want to date my sister! I mean…HER? Come on!" Dega spat out.

"You will not say a word of this." The avian hissed.

Dega looked over at Tang, who raised his eyebrows and nodded slightly.

"Fine. Just get off of me!" The tiger lion sighed.

*Ten mintues later*

After things had calmed down and Dega had finally accepted the news, the three guys sat around the room and contemplated on what to do next.

"Not to be harsh, bro, but you have bad luck with girls." Dega stated.

"Gee, thanks." Zan replied glumly.

"However, never fear! The love doctor is here!" The tiger lion added, walking up to the bird.

"I think you hit your head one too many times on your trip down the palace steps." Tang stated.

"Har har! I forgot how to laugh! Now listen to me. You're nice, moderately strong, funny, and everything else that's nice and what not. Unfortunately, all of that is not what will get my sister. That's why Kai is doing so bad with Lupa. She's gonna go for Sin, because he's a bad boy, but suddenly, Zan steps in and whisks her away with his rough and toughness!" Dega explained, motioning his arm across the room.

"I'm taking advice from a single guy…" The avian muttered, rubbing his forehead in humiliation.

"Now, here's what ya do…" Dega began.

*With a figure, hiding in the shadows*

A mysterious figure in a black hood walked down a dark alley and stopped in front of a bull, leaning against the side of a building.

"You the boss?" The bull asked.

"Yes, I am. Please, don't call me 'boss.' It sounds so…stuck up. Call me Overlord for now. Are the supplies ready?" The figure hissed.

"Yes. All of our supplies and ammunition are ready. We just need to rally more troops and acquire our sleeper agents, along with buying more weapons." The bull explained.

"Good. Things are coming together nicely. Gather more men in private. We don't want to attract any attention and ruin our plan. As for the sleeper agents, make sure they are in every city as well as in... the prize, is what we'll call it for now. Continue to smuggle weapons into the city via old fruit carts and clothing boxes. Understood?"

"Of course, Overlord. I will let the others know immediately." The henchman replied before running off.

Overlord removed their cloak, fixed their hair, and walked back into the building to continue their cover.

_It is only a matter of time before China is mine…_ The figure thought.

*With Max*

A Bengal white tiger marched up the Jade Palace steps with his grey wolf brother, Arizona, behind him.

"So, what'd ya think of the diner? Tasty, right?" Max asked.

"It was alright. I've had better." Arizona replied, shrugging.

Arizona was a Tibetan grey wolf who had a miserable past. He once lived with his parents in the Mu Zho Village until one day, his mother was killed by a croc bandit and his father was killed by his evil uncle, Dai Ling. For many years, he was beaten and rejected by anyone of Dai Ling's army except for the good citizens of Kong Wolf City, in which Dai Ling held them in prison. When Musaki, a cuddly and friendly panda came in his life, Arizona's life started to turn for the better and he is now able to move on from his past. He's a friendly and kind being now, and his messy fur hides any scars that he endured from his captivity in Kong Wolf City.

Max had a terrible childhood as a kid. His mother constantly abused him as a child and was always filling his life with unhappiness. After years of living under these conditions, the tiger was able to run away from home and find Bao Gu Orphanage. This was not a safe haven however, for he was bullied by some of the older orphans for being different, like Master Tigress. At one point, Musaki's family (including Arizona) took in the scared and battered tiger and raised him as one of their own. When Max's biological mom came back to bring him home though, the tiger refused and decided to stay with his new family. The tiger was shy around strangers, but when it came to someone who was mean to his friends, he was there to defend them.

"Where'd Saki, Summer, and Sierra say they were going to?" Max asked, trying to continue the conversation.

"They went to visit Summer's parents. Musaki wanted to see them again and from what I gather, Sierra was just accompanying them on the journey. You know how she likes to hang with them." The wolf responded.

Once at the top of the mountain, the two enetered the palace and received a warm welcome back from Zan, Tang, Lily, and Dega.

"WHAT. IS. UP? How's it going, Maxie? Maximillian? Mac attack? Can I call you that?" Dega cheered as he gave the white tiger a bro hug.

Max laughed. "Max'll do just fine!"

"Alrighty then! Zona, great to see you again! How was the diner?" The tiger lion questioned, moving over to the wolf.

"It was fine, I guess. Not much there that I liked." Arizona replied.

"Did you try the diced potatoes with seasoned spinach?"

"No…"

"Then you haven't lived!" Dega exclaimed, poking the wolf in the chest.

"Actually, he is living right now. His lungs are expanding and contracting oxygen and his heart rate is perfectly normal." Lily added.

Dega face palmed and slid his hand down his face, contorting it. "I do not understand what you are saying! I do not speak the language of knowledge!"

The tiger lion then took Lily's glasses off of her face and put them on his and started to imitate her. "Have you heard about the new astrophasitist? They've made an important discovery about the molecules in rocks! Boy, I love science!"

Lily snatched her glasses back and put them back on her face. "First, they're called astrophysicists. Second, they study space, planets, and stars."

"Where are Kiba and the others?" Tang asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I don't really know. They said something about having fun in the village, but I don't know where they are!" Max responded.

"Well, let's go find them then!" Zan stated, marching out of the palace.

"What's with him?" Arizona asked, pointing at the avian.

"Oh, I just gave him a little advice to help him out. Maybe he'll do the same for me one day…" Dega answered in a happy tone.

*With Kai*

"Sorry I'm late. You wouldn't believe how long this one guy took to order his snacks!" Kai exclaimed as he sat down next to Lupa and passed the snacks out. "Some guy with a black hood slung over his arm kept changing his mind!"

"It's fine, bro. We had a little situation ourselves, but we took care of it. The play is about to start!" Sin replied, taking a handful of flavored potato chips and shoving them into his mouth.

**Hope everyone enjoyed! I'll be sure to post the next chapter either tomorrow night or the day after!**

**Leave a review with your thoughts!**

**Favorite and follow it if you like!**

**More to come…**


	3. The Elemental Hazards

**Hello once again everyone! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Anyone picking up on a few hints later in the series?**

**In this chapter, I'm gonna introduce SpiritualLoneWolf XIII's OCs. I'll bring in the other three OCs from AU2005 a little later in the story, so don't worry!**

**Here's the new chapter…**

*With Max, Tang, and the others, in the village*

Once in the village, the group of friends began looking around for their other friends. It wasn't long before they found Kiba.

Kiba Toshida was a Japanese white wolf dog mix. He was 16 years-old and was a huge joker and prankster of his team, the Elemental Hazards. His favorite nickname that his friends had given him was "blue fire."

"THESE THINGS ARE GREAT!" Kiba cheered as he shot through the streets in a green outline of a rocket cart.

Dega's hands shot to where his swords once were. His aunt, Tigress, had given Dega two power swords that could summon any object for his 16th birthday. Ever since, they had been his primary tool.

"KIBA! HOW DID YOU STEAL MY SWORDS?" The tiger lion roared before he chased after the laughing wolf dog.

Takami Skyfang and Ryo Mercer stood against a building grinning and lightly chuckling at the sight of an angered Dega racing after their friend.

Takami was the 16 year-old leader of the Elemental Hazards. The Bengal tiger was usually serious and a huge strategist, but at times was also adventurous and fun to be around. He was able to control the element of fire and he always wore a red sleeveless shirt with a phoenix on it to show it.

Ryo "Shadow" Mercer was the second in command of the team. The 17 year-old black and grey wolf was almost like Takami personality wise, but was a little more outgoing. He controlled the element of darkness and, like Takami, wears a grey sleeveless shirt.

"I think I'll help Dega get his swords back." Lily stated before slithering off.

"What the heck do you think you're doing, Kiba?" A female yellow fox called out.

"Aw, it's called having fun, Sky! Try it sometime!" The wolf dog replied, shooting past her.

Skyler Tifan was a 16 year-old yellow fox who loves to keep everything organized and under control. Her sarcastic attitude and hatred for stupid and reckless action sometimes made her a stick in the mud, but over all she was cool to be around. After all, it was one of the things about her that Ryo found attractive and what drove him to date her.

"He's gonna get himself killed!" She exclaimed, walking up to Takami and Ryo.

"As long as he doesn't hurt anyone or destroy something, I'm fine with it!" Takami exclaimed.

"Hey! The gang's all here!" A brown lion cheered, exiting a restaurant with a brown bear behind him.

Kovu Shaozu was the youngest member of the team, aging at 10 years old. He was however, the one who was able to control the most elements, being fire, shade, time, and electricity. The lion was usually serious, however could be adventurous ad outgoing at times.

The brown bear behind him was Hope Xing fu Haruki, or Hope for short. He was either 15 or 16 years-old; nobody could tell because he would never say. He was the kind, light hearted, and respectful one of the group as well.

"Everyone but Faith, Kaizer, and Kidd." Hope added.

"Where are they anyway?" Takami asked.

"I have no idea. They kinda just wandered off!" Kovu responded.

"What's up everyone?" Max cheered as he and the others walked up to their friends.

"Not much, Max. We're just trying to figure out where Kaizer, Faith, and Kidd are as well as trying to decide what to do next." Sky replied.

"Hey, what's Lily doing up there?" Zan suddenly asked, pointing to his sister on top of a building.

The snake was pulling some string across the other side of the building, only to tie it to a post on top of the structure. It was right in the path of the soaring Kiba.

"This can't be good." Hope stated as the watched their friend get closer and closer to the trap.

The wolf dog hit the wire and was thrown off of his rocket cart, which disappeared immediately. Kiba spun around on it and was launched towards the surprised and winded Dega.

"Uh oh." They heard the tiger lion murmur before the two collided.

When the two regained their senses, they realized that Kiba was crouched over the embarrassed Dega.

"At least take me out to dinner first, bro." The tiger lion joked before he pushed Kiba off of him.

He grabbed his weapons and walked back over to the group.

"Takami! Ryo! Fist bump?" Dega cheered, holding out his clenched hand.

The two friends just stared blankly at it with disinterested expressions.

"Still stone cold serious, huh? No worries! You'll give me one eventually!" Dega added, shrugging it off.

"Well, now that we found you guys, let's go see if we can't find Faith, Kaizer, and Kidd." Tang stated.

"Yeah, I wanna find those guys so we can get our training started. Master Po will give us a super hard work out if we're late." Arizona added.

"Hey, it could be worse. My mom could give us our training list for the day." Tang replied.

Everyone slightly cringed at the thought before walking off to find their friends.

"I'll catch up with you guys! I've gotta do a little planning!" Zan called out before taking a separate direction.

*With Overlord*

"How is Xin doing on his journey?" The figure in black hissed.

"He's making excellent progress, boss. He should be at the Valley tomorrow." A soldier replied.

"What did I say about calling me 'boss?'" The ninja hissed.

"Sorry, Overlord. It won't happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't. I need to return to my cover soon so the others don't get suspicious. Keep me posted on Xin's travels and let me know when he gets here. I want to greet him personally with a little welcome basket!"

"Of course, Overlord." The soldier responded, saluting his master.

With that, the figure in the black cloak walked off into the night.

*A few hours later, with Kai, Lupa, and Sin*

"That was a great play! I'm glad we did this!" Kai stated as the three walked out of the theater.

"Yeah, it was! We should do this again sometime!" Lupa responded.

"Hey, sorry to leave so soon, but I promised one of my friends that I'd meet up with him to hang out tonight. I gotta run!" Sin called out before jogging off into the night.

"I love him, but it's weird how he always visits this mysterious 'friend' of his at night. I hope he hasn't gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd." Kai stated once his brother was gone.

"Don't worry about it too much! For now, would you like to walk me back to the palace?" Lupa asked, hanging on the fox's arm.

Kai grinned. "Why wouldn't I?"

*With Xin*

The snow leopard shifted his weight to his left foot and pushed off of the rocky ledge on the mountainside. Soon, he was on top of the mountains looking out at the Valley of Peace. Lights illuminated the streets and Xin could see a group consisting of a fox, a panda, a bird, a few tigers, a bear, a lion, and a snake walking down the street, laughing and enjoying life.

_What an odd group._ Xin thought.

The snow leopard shrugged slightly. It wasn't his place to judge. He had to focus on his goal for now. Besides, he had to sleep. He hadn't realized how tired he was until just recently. Traveling without sleep for five days really made a guy tired.

He set up camp on the top of the mountain and pulled his blanket over him.

He had to look respectable for the person who told him where the Dragon Warrior was.

The person who sent him on his journey.

The one who told him where to find his father's killer.

Tai Lung's killer.

**TAADAA! There's the end of that chapter!**

**Any guess as to who Overlord really is? Hm? Leave your guess in the reviews section!**

**I'll write the next chapter either tomorrow or the next night!**

**More to come…**


	4. Mastermind

**Hey guys! I know that these are a ton of OCs and facts to take in, and I know it makes some want to slam their head into a wall, but just bear with me. We'll be through the introductions soon.**

**Just letting you guys know that the stories may vary a little between AU2005, SLW XIII, and mine. For example, in their stories, Shifu is still alive, as to in mine, he's not (for those of you who didn't know this, read the first chapter of my story, Kung Fu Panda Finale: Tiger Tiger).**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

*With Max, Takami, Tang and the others*

"Faith?" Ryo called out.

"Kaizer? Where are you guys?" Arizona asked.

The group of friends were walking around the business and jewelry shop area of the village, calling out for their friends.

"Over here!" Kidd called back.

The friends looked over in the direction from which Kidd called and spotted him, leaning against a wall next to Kaizer.

Kidduo Toshida was the 16 year-old well-mannered, calm, and obsessive compulsive brother of Kiba. As usual, the white wolf dog hybrid was in his black business suit with his dual pistols inside his jacket pockets. He was the very few in all of China who had this latest weapon that could shoot what were called "bullets" at his enemies, which would somehow kill them. He was able to control the elements of black fire and black electricity as well.

Kaizer Beelzabub used to be a very deadly and very evil assassin before he met the Elements and joined their team. The 17 year-old white tiger is usually very serious and mysterious as well as loyal and overprotective of his friend, Hope. He too is able to control black fire and black electricity, but is also not afraid to wield his dark black katana to fight his enemies. He wore his usual black vest with grey sweatpants and had chains wrapped around his black wristbands that were just above his hands.

"There you guys are! Where were you?" Max asked.

"Faith wanted to check out the jewelry stores…" Kaizer replied stalely.

"You still have to hook me up with one of those suits, Kidd! I'd look freakin' AWESOME!" Dega exclaimed.

The tiger lion thought he had heard Lily mumble something, but when he asked her what she had said, she clamped her mouth shut and wouldn't say any more.

"Where is Faith now?" Tang asked, but then suddenly turned around when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

No one was there.

"Oh no, not this again!" Sky groaned.

Faith Cheza was a 16 year-old cheetah who was able to control the element of ice. She always wore her blue vest with snowflakes on it, black sweat pants, and white arm warmers. She was a nice, calm, and concentrated individual who harbored a secret crush on Hope.

Being a cheetah, Faith could perform any action in the blink of an eye.

"She's messing with us again!" Zan exclaimed.

The friends heard Faith's laughter echo off of the buildings around them.

"Okay, that's a little creepy." Takami stated.

Just then, the cheetah zoomed up to her friends in a flash and stood beside Kiba, who was so surprised he let out a little yelp.

"Hahahahaha! Chill out Kiba! Hey everyone! Hey Hope!" Faith greeted.

After all of the friends greeted her, they started to head back to the palace.

"It's dark already?" Kovu whined.

"Yeah, it got—OH. NO." Ryo exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" Max asked.

"We missed today's training completely!" He replied, slapping his hand to his forehead.

The others groaned as well, and dreaded their teachers' reactions once they got back home.

"Well, it's been nice knowing all of you!" Dega exclaimed before walking over to a small stand. "Can I use a piece of paper and a pen for a moment? Thanks."

The friends watched in confusion as Dega began to write on the paper.

"Dear friends and family, if you find this, then I've been tortured to death by my parents. I'm sad to say that I am not with you anymore, but on the plus side, I don't have to do any more training! I leave all of my possessions to Kiba and Faith, and I leave my legacy of joke telling to Kaizer, who has always been the funny guy of the team!" Dega said out loud as he wrote his will down on paper.

Everyone laughed except Kaizer, who just stood in place, shaking his head with a smirk on his face.

*With Xin, the next day*

The snow leopard woke early in the morning and packed up his things. After cautiously making his way down the mountain, he walked into the town and began looking for his friend who had told him about his father's killer. It wasn't before long that a figure in black emerged from the shadows and beckoned him to come closer.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Xin. I'm sure that your journey here wasn't too much trouble." The ninja hissed.

"None at all. Thank you for telling me about my dad's killer, Mr.…"

"Overlord. Call me Overlord for now. Now, let's get down to business. I trust that you want to kill the Dragon Warrior, yes?"

"Of course." Xin replied, nodding his head once.

"Why give him a swift death when you could torture him?"

"Go on…"

"Hit him where it hurts most. His family. Specifically, target his son. After that, his wife and then you go in and slowly make that fat panda suffer!" Overlord spat.

"An excellent idea, but why are you helping me? What is in it for you?" The snow leopard asked.

"I'm not concerned with the Dragon Warrior himself. I've had a vision that his son will defeat me if I am not able to stop him first. Taking out Tang's whole family is just an added bonus. If I am to succeed in conquering China, the boy will need to be out of my way. Do not worry about his friends. I'll take care of them!" The figure explained.

"I see. How do I know you won't kill me when you take over the country?"

"Why would I kill the one warrior who took down the greatest obstacle in my path? If you do this, I'll make you general of my army! I already have an assassin…"

"Say no more! Thank you for helping me on my quest! I will not fail. This is just as personal for me as it is for you." Xin stated, bowing to the figure in black.

Overlord just nodded before stepping back into the shadows and disappearing.

*With Po*

"What's wrong, dude? You seem a little worried." Kiro exclaimed.

The masters of the Jade Palace sat around in a circle in the main hall, discussing today's events. Everyone had stopped when they noticed Po's strange behavior.

"Is it because the kids aren't back yet?" Monkey asked.

The Dragon Warrior paused for a moment. "No, it's just that I had a vision just now, but I don't know what it means."

"Well, tell us! We could figure it out!" Mantis exclaimed.

"All right. Well, I was standing by the peach tree, when I heard Lily's voice behind me. I turned around and saw Dega, Lily, Zan, and Lupa standing there, but they seemed transparent. Like they were there but not there. Then, my vision shifted and the word 'betrayal' was written in fire across a smoldering town with an army marching through it."

Kiro shivered a little. "That's one creepy vision, bro. That's worse than the time a envisioned that I would someday be cast into an empty blackness with no bottom. Hey, it probably won't come true, though. I mean I haven't been tossed into a bottomless pit! I wouldn't worry about it!"

"Still, it is unnerving to hear." Mei Ling stated.

"I'm sure everything'll be fine! I'm with Kiro for once! It's probably nothing!" Crane responded.

"For once?" The white tiger asked with an eyebrow raised.

**There it is! That's the end of this chapter! Things are getting more weird and confusing by the minute!**

**Be sure to leave your review as to what you think about it so far! Don't worry! The introductions are almost done!**

**More to come…**


	5. The Diversion

**Hey everyone! I've come down with a little bit of the flu, but don't worry! I'll continue to try to post new chapters every week night! I won't be held down by this! I know how much you guys like the new chapters to keep coming!**

**Anyway, here's the new chapter!**

*A few hours later, with Tang*

"Hey everyone, I'll be gone for a little while! I'm gonna go hang out with Jing-Su!" The panda called out.

Jing-Su, or Jin for short, was a female bobcat that Tang had a secret crush on. The seventeen year-old was kind, light-hearted, and always up for a challenge.

"Yeah Tang! You go man!" Dega called out.

"Go panda! Go panda!" Kiba cheered.

The two cracked up and slapped each other a high five.

"Idiots…" Sky mumbled with a grin. "Have fun, Tang! Tell her I said 'hi!'"

The panda turned to leave the palace, but instead of facing the door, he faced his mother.

"Not so fast. Did you complete your training for the day?" Tigress asked.

"I'll do it when I come home! Jin's waiting for me!" Tang complained.

The master smirked. "Alright, if you don't get it done by the end of the day, you have to join your father in running up and down the palace steps ten times. He didn't do the dishes like I asked."

"Isn't he the grandmaster of all of us, though?" Kovu asked.

"The first thing you should know, Kovu, is that the position of wife trumps any other." Faith whispered.

"Fine, I'll do it! I'll be back here before nightfall." Tang finally replied.

With that, the panda walked around his mother and exited the palace.

*Ten minutes later, with Xin*

The snow leopard waited in a dark alley. It was just the location that he needed to kill the Dragon Warrior's son and not be spotted. As Xin saw Tang start to walk past his hiding position, he prepared to pounce, but someone held him back.

"Not yet." A voice hissed. "Wait until I take care of his friends. If you fail somehow, then the whole palace will be upon you."

Xin turned around to see Overlord standing behind him.

"It's not easy to sneak up on someone like me. How did you do that?" The snow leopard whispered.

He thought he saw the figure smile a little. "Stealth runs in my species. Now, wait until I get you before you attack the panda. It will be then when you are clear for combat."

Xin nodded before walking out into the open street, pretending like nothing had happened as he began to look at some fruit.

*With Tang*

As the panda was walking down the street, he noticed that three wolves with swords charged down an alley.

_That can't be good._ Tang thought before peering down the pathway.

"Please! Som—AUGH! Someone help! Get off me!" He heard someone cry.

It was Kai.

Tang ran down the alley and kicked a wolf out of his way and stood next to the beaten fox. Tang noticed that Kai now had a long scar running from the top of his eye down to his chin.

"What happened? Why're these guys attacking you?" Tang asked as he slammed his fists into a bandit.

"I was taking a shortcut back to my house when these guys started mugging me!" The fox grunted as he began punching and kicking the wolves.

Tang ducked under a wolf that wielded a dagger and flipped his foe over his shoulder, slamming the thief into a building wall.

Kai kicked his opponent three times in the jaw, lifting the wolf into the air, and then spun around and slammed his fist against the bandit's jaw, sending the thief flying into the ground.

The fox and panda got into their fighting stances, but a look around them revealed that the bandits were all knocked out.

"Thanks, Tang. No telling what those wolves would've done to me after they had taken my money." Kai stated, fist bumping the panda.

"No problem. I gotta run! I'm meeting Jin in a few minutes and don't wanna be late! I'll drop these guys off at the jail on my way over. You think you'll be fine the rest of the way?" Tang asked.

"Yeah, I'll be good. Tell her that I send my regards!"

"Alright! See ya!"

*A half hour later, with an enemy soldier*

"It is done, master." A soldier stated, bowing to a figure in black.

The ninja unsheathed a black sword and plunged it into the guard, who gasped in pain and crumpled to the ground, dead.

"Maybe next time you'll remember to call me 'Overlord.' Oh wait; there won't be a next time for you. 'Master' sounds so… what's the word…unfitting for me. I'm greater than the title of 'master.'" The figure hissed before he pulled out his sword, wiped it clean, and sheathed it again.

"Overlord, what is done exactly?" Another soldier asked.

"Why, we're just helping our little friend with his revenge!" The ninja hissed, before walking off.

*At the Jade Palace*

"Hey guys! Check this out!" Ryo exclaimed excitedly, holding up a piece of paper.

"What is it?" Takami asked, walking up to his friend.

"WHOAH! Check it out! It's a letter from the Emperor, stating that we are all invited for a celebratory feast!" Max cheered excitedly, reading the note.

"What's the occasion?" Arizona asked.

"It says that it's to commemorate the twentieth year of peace throughout China!" Hope exclaimed, grabbing the scroll.

"Maybe I'll get to see his royal library…" Lily gaped.

"Must. Read. Books. Must. Learn. Knowledge. Is. Power." Dega stated robotically, walking around in a stiff form. "Come on, Lily! There's so much to do there and you just wanna read? Forget it! I'm not gonna let you! I'm gonna show you the true meaning of having fun!"

"When's the banquet?" Sky asked.

"Two days!" Kovu replied.

"I've gotta go shopping for a new outfit!" Lupa exclaimed before dashing out of the palace.

"Right behind ya!" Faith cheered before shooting after her friend.

"Girls…I'll never understand 'em." Zan stated, shaking his head.

"If you want, I could do my best to write a two-hundred page thesis on the female mind." Lily said, slithering up to her brother.

"Uh… On second thought, I'd rather just not know." The avian replied, backing out of his sister's offer.

*Fifteen minutes later, with the masters*

"Well, I'm going! It's been a while since we've seen the Emperor." Crane stated.

"Yeah, it'll be like a little vacation!" Viper exclaimed.

"Party!" Monkey cheered.

"Hey, are you guys going?" Mantis asked.

"I think that it's best that Ti and I stay here. Someone has to make sure that everything is under control." Po stated.

"I also want Tang to continue his training. He still has much to learn. He'll be staying here too." Tigress added.

"The boy has to have fun once in a while! Let him live his childhood!" Kiro exclaimed.

Tigress growled softly. "Remember that beating I gave you so many years ago? I can do it again."

"No thanks! I've had enough for my nine lifetimes!" The white tiger responded, holding his hands up in a surrender fashion.

"I can't wait! I'm excited!" Mei Ling cheered, jumping up and down a little.

What the masters didn't know was that a figure in a black cloak was spying on them listening to their conversation from the roof of the palace.

"Perfect. Everything is going as expected." Overlord murmured.

**There it is! The end of the chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it! The story is getting more mysterious and conflict is rising now!**

**Leave your review with your thoughts!**

**Favorite/Follow the story! It means a lot!**

**I always love hearing from you guys in the PMs or the reviews, so don't be shy, go on and talk to me!**

**More to come…**


	6. Cloaked in Mystery

**Hey guys! Man, my immune system is amazing. I'm back and feeling great again a day later! Also, I've seen the sun again for the first time in what…four months? Anyway, I'm in a pretty great mood right now, so here's an extra special chapter for you all!**

*With Tang, a few hours later*

"WHAT? Aw, come on!" Tang whined.

"No. You're staying here with us and you are going to continue your training. You have a big legacy to pick up as the son of the Dragon Warrior!" Tigress scolded.

"But the others are going to see THE emperor of China! Can't I do my training there?" The panda asked.

"We both know that you'd blow it off."

"Would not!"

"Would too. You can't fool me, Tang. You're staying here!" Tigress huffed before storming off.

Tang sighed in frustration and then turned around to face Dega, who was peering around a corner.

"Bro, that sucks." The tiger lion stated. "Want me to bring ya back a souvenir?"

"No thanks. I'm just gonna go to my room and sleep for now. Nothing for me out here…" Tang replied sadly.

"I'LL TELL YA ABOUT IT WHEN WE GET BACK!" Dega called out as Tang shuffled over to his room.

*A couple of days later, with the masters and warriors, at the Emperor's palace*

"Why, we're the heroes and masters from the Valley of Peace! The Emperor is expecting us!" Max exclaimed to the guard.

The warriors had left their home two days before and had made their way to the royal palace through a fairly safe trail. Once outside the gate of the palace, they were stopped by a guard who questioned their identity.

"Well, alright. You can go in. You're lucky I remember Masters Crane, Viper, Mei Ling, Kiro, Monkey, and Mantis." The rhino stated after thinking for a moment. "Who can forget Master Kiro..."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult!" The white tiger pondered aloud as he followed his friends through the gates.

The heroes were escorted inside and were immediately led to the throne room. The students gasped and were awed at the furniture, architecture, and amount of Chinese artifacts that lined the walls and hallways. Soon, they stood before the emperor of China himself.

The Emperor, a snake, had taken the place of his uncle many years ago when the old ruler fell into the evil clutches of Grandmaster Feng, the leader of China's criminals. The old Emperor was arrested and was thrown in the city jail the last time anyone had checked. The new Emperor, who never revealed his name to anyone, had gladly taken the place of his uncle after that.

"Hello Jade Palace masters! Good to see you again!" The serpent said, straightening up.

"Your Highness." The masters stated, bowing.

The students, including Kidd and Kaizer, who were the most serious of the group, had their mouths hanging open as the stood before the ruler of China.

"Go on; say what I know you're thinking…" The Emperor pushed.

"You're a snake?" Faith asked.

"There it is!" The snake exclaimed. "Yes, dear cheetah, I am a snake."

"Um, not to be pushy, Sire, but we are here for—"

Takami was cut off by the Emperor abruptly.

"Pushy!" The serpent stated, slightly surprised, "Why, you're not being pushy at all! I can tell that you're here for business purposes, but first I want you all to have fun here! We'll discuss whatever you want to talk about later at dinner!"

Everyone grinned and bowed. After saying their thanks, the group exited the room and tossed their baggage in some spare containers.

"Come on, son! I wanna show you the old emperor! I locked him up years ago! I wanna see his reaction when he sees me!" Kiro said excitedly.

"Sweet! Let's go!" The tiger lion exclaimed before the two ran off towards the city jail.

*With Lupa*

Once the sister of Dega had put her things down, she wandered the palace, looking at the pieces of history that hung on the walls or were encased in glass. Somehow, she made it to a giant door, which was lined with gold and silver.

Lupa pushed the door open and stepped into a massive training area, fifty times the size of the Jade Palace training room. Spike traps, fire pits, balancing boards, and other obstacles lined the pathway before the female tiger lion. She was in her element.

"Awesome…" She murmured before rushing over to try some of the equipment.

*With Kiro and Dega*

"This'll be great! He'll be so infuriated when he sees us!" Kiro said gleefully.

"Can I taunt and make fun of him?" Dega asked hopefully.

"Wouldn't be fun if we didn't!" The white tiger replied.

After a little bit of walking, the two managed to arrive at the local jail.

"Excuse me, but can we see the old emperor of China?" Kiro asked the warden.

"Sorry buddy, but the old serpent killed himself a few months ago. He went completely nuts. Drawing all over his cell and everything." The bull replied.

"That's…unfortunate. Can we see his cell?" Kiro asked, turning suddenly grave.

"Sure. Right this way." The warden responded, leading the two heroes down multiple corridors.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Dega asked.

"It wasn't like the Emperor to take his own life. He was the kind of guy who'd stay in there and plot his revenge. Something doesn't seem right." The serious white tiger replied, taking out his staffs.

Kiro's staffs were a weapon of great power. They were just like Dega's swords, except he could combine the two small staffs into a longer one, and they glowed red instead of green.

The weapons sparked to life as the two made their way to the snake's old cell.

"Here it is. Shut the door on your way out." The bull stated before unlocking the cell and walking off.

"Wait out here." Kiro commanded before stepping into the cell.

Dega saw his father drop his staffs and hear a gasp emit from his mouth.

"What is it?" The curious tiger lion asked as he began to make his way in.

Kiro turned and pushed his son out of the cell abruptly.

"Don't come in here! You don't wanna see this!" His father warned.

The white tiger turned back to face the engravings. All around him, detailed and precise carvings of a ruined Chinese city engulfed in flames were engraved in the walls. To his right, a small army with what looked to be the Elemental Hazards were charging towards a jaguar in light and dark blue combat armor with an army right behind him. To his left, Kiro saw what looked to be Max, Sierra, and Arizona leading another small army against a young snow leopard with a giant mass of soldiers behind him. Behind the white tiger, he saw Po, Tigress, him and the others fighting what looked to be a black tiger in all white and black, with a flaming staff by their apparent foe's side and a large army behind the tiger. Finally, in front of Kiro, a greatly enhanced figure shrouded by a black hood stood before what looked to be Tang. The figure's face or species could not be made out, though. The only body part that was shown was the figure's right arm, which was covered by a black combat armor with horns and spikes traveling up the side. A carving of two cobras intertwined in each other was plastered on the top of the armor. An inscription of "The prophecy will be fulfilled" was edged into the wall above the giant figure.

*With Lily*

While her friends were exploring the palace, Lily maneuvered her way around the palace and was able to find the royal library. She slowly pushed open the door and almost fainted when she saw the thousand foot room, which was lined edge to edge with bookshelves. The interior was a plush green and torches dimly lit the walls. Furniture was lined throughout the twenty floors of the room, and the entire area was filled with the smell of old paper and musty scrolls.

Lily made a small squeal of delight before she zipped around the entire room, laughing and giggling like a three year-old as she sped through hundreds of books and scrolls.

"AWESOME!" She shouted in glee.

*With Overlord*

"You wanted to see me?" Xin asked, stepping into Overlord's hideout.

"Yes, you see, the heroes have already left the valley. So I have some good news for you!" The figure in black stated, rubbing the right side of his face.

The snow leopard raised an eyebrow, curious as to what his friend had to say.

"You're cleared for combat. Enjoy your revenge!" Overlord finished.

*Later that day, at the Emperor's palace*

"So, did everyone enjoy themselves?" The snake asked.

The heroes and masters sat at the massive dinner table in the Emperor's palace. Food lined every inch of the table and drinks were stacked in the corner of the room. It was truly a feast for a king.

"IT WAS AMAZING!" Lupa cried.

"INCREDIBLE!" Lily exclaimed.

"It was alright, I guess…" Dega stated gloomily.

"D-Didn't you e-enjoy yourself?" Lily asked.

_Uh oh. Here goes Lily's nervous stuttering again._ Lupa thought. _A shame that she can't speak to any guy other than Crane and Zan._

"It was fine, but I didn't do as much fun stuff as I wanted to." Dega replied.

Lily fidgeted, not sure as to whether she should extend her offer or not. She decided she would. "Well, i-if y-y-you wanted to show m-me some of the f-f-f-fun stuff you wanted to do, I'd b-be up for t-t-that."

Everyone's jaw except for the Emperor's hit the floor.

"Oh how exciting! A little date between heroes!" The Emperor cheered.

"It's not a date, it's just an experiment. I'd l-like to s-see what it is like to h-have 'fun.'" The younger snake responded.

"Sweet." The tiger lion said softly, cracking a grin at Lily. "You won't regret it! We're gonna paint this city red!"

"Yes, yes, and after you do that, you can paint the jail cells red. Don't get too wild, young one." The Emperor stated.

After dinner, the heroes were filled to the brim with food. They could barely move at all.

"So…good." Monkey exclaimed.

"Must…have another…bite of that…diced salmon...bread." Kiro added, reaching for the loaf of bread, but gave up when he couldn't grab it.

"Thanks you for inviting us to this feast! We appreciate the formal invitation." Crane said to the ruler.

"Invitation? I didn't send any invitation! Is that why you're here?" The serpent asked, getting more concerned by the second.

"Sure you did! Here it is!" Mantis responded, handing over the slip of paper.

"Why, I didn't send this! This isn't my writing! This is a fake!" The serpent exclaimed, examining the note.

"Then, who sent this?" Kovu asked, sitting up suddenly.

*With Overlord*

"Well, I'm surprised that the fake invitation worked! I didn't figure that I could match the handwriting!" A jaguar in light and dark blue combat armor stated, walking up to Overlord.

"Yes. A fine job you did indeed. Tell me, what does my future look like?" The figure in black asked.

The jaguar closed his eyes for a minute or two and then re-opened them. "If the Dragon Warrior doesn't fight alongside his son, Xin will more than likely kill the boy and you will be victorious."

"Well, whenever Xin strikes, let's make sure the fat panda is kept busy, hm?" Overlord hissed before walking off to see his assassin.

**There it is! A long chapter for you guys! Hope you enjoyed!**

**This whole thing is getting pretty confusing and twisted, am I right? Don't worry, because everything will come together in the end… of the series that is.**

**Leave your review with your thoughts about this whole scheme!**

**I'll hopefully write more tomorrow!**

**More to come…**


	7. First Strike

**Hey everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying this story! More hints and more twists have been revealed! What do you think about this? Who's Overlord? Who's the blue jaguar? Who's the figure in the black and white cloak? Who's the snow leopard that was carved into the cell wall? All of these will be revealed in due time. The entire carving in the cell wall will be revealed in the end of the finale!**

*With the masters and heroes, at the Emperor's Palace*

"We have to get back to the valley as soon as possible!" Mei Ling exclaimed, standing up.

"Nonsense! I'm sure that one of your children or the students wrote the letter so they could come here! So stay here you shall!" The emperor of China replied.

Dega looked over at Kiba and grinned.

"Nice job, bro. I can't believe you didn't tell me that you wrote it!" The tiger lion whispered.

"I didn't do it! Don't pin this on me!" The wolf dog hissed.

"Suuuuuuure. Didn't do it! Gotcha!" Dega responded with a wink and a thumbs up.

"Shall w-we begin the ex-experiment?" Lily stuttered, looking at the tiger lion.

"Why not? Let's go!" Dega replied, motioning for her to join him.

As the two went off on their journey, Kiro leaned over and raised his eyebrows up and down at Crane and Viper. The bird narrowed his eyes at the white tiger master and Viper just shook her head.

"If my boy and your girl hook up and for some reason get married, Crane, I could call you brother!" Kiro cheered.

Crane summoned a gust of wind that knocked Kiro out of his seat and sent him tumbling across the floor. "Don't hold your breath."

"Hey, uh, Lupa. You ever wanted to go flying?" Zan asked nervously.

"It had intrigued me before. You wanting to take me flying?" The female tiger lion asked.

"If ya want…" The young avian murmured.

"Sure! Why not! It'd be fun!" Dega's sister stated before getting up and walking out of the room. "I'll meet ya outside!"

Kiro popped right back up again and gave Crane and Viper another huge grin. This time, Crane used the wind to send his friend out an open window. Everybody could hear the master's shouts of pain as he rolled down the mountainside.

Kiba burst out laughing suddenly from everything that had just happened. "Rich! So rich!"

"Smooth, Zan." Kaizer stated, raising an eyebrow and leaning back on his seat.

Just then, Dega popped back into the room. "Kidd, got any spare suits I could borrow?"

Kiba fell off of his chair and started rolling around on the ground hysterically. "STOP! I CAN'T BREATH! AHAHAHAHA! STOP!"

Arizona and Max started chuckling at the sight of Kiba. Takami and Ryo couldn't help but grin as they helped the wolf dog off of the ground and back into his seat.

"Oh, this is too good!" Hope exclaimed, laughing slightly.

"My boy's a lady killer!" Kiro stated happily, slapping his son on the back.

"How did you get back up here so fast?" Viper asked.

"I have staffs that can send me flying into the air! What, you thought I was gonna walk all the way back up here? Ha!" The white tiger replied.

Skyler rolled her eyes and Kovu and Faith started to rub their eyes. They had been laughing so hard that tears started to form.

Kidd shook his head and sighed, but had a smile on his face. He went back to his room for a moment or two then came back out with a tux.

"Sweet, dude. Thanks!" Dega said before grabbing the suit and running off.

*With Xin*

"Are you ready to face Tang?" Overlord asked.

"I am. Thank you for all of your help, but I have to ask, what happens when the Dragon Warrior and his wife show up?" The snow leopard questioned.

"No worries. I'm going to send some of my men to keep those two busy. You won't be bothered by them." The figure in black replied, rubbing the two serpents symbol in his shoulder armor.

A short pause hung in the air before Xin spoke again. "What does that symbol mean?"

Overlord smiled a little, revealing his sharp, white teeth. "My, nothing gets past you, huh? It can be a symbol of rebirth or vengefulness and vindictiveness. Any other questions?"

The young snow leopard shook his head. "Are your men ready to fight now?"

Overlord reached down and put on his face mask. It shielded his entire face from view of others except for two slits for his eyes. The mask was completely black with the silver face of a dragon on it.

"Of course. I'll be watching from a distance to see the boy and his family in action. I already have a base for some of Tang's skills. If anything goes wrong or you're outmatched by the panda, retreat. I'll help you with that later." The blackened figure hissed.

Xin nodded and exited the warehouse.

*With Po and Tigress, fifteen minutes later*

"Well, Tang seems to have improved on his training these past couple of days." Tigress stated, walking up to her husband.

"That's because he's channeling the rage built up inside of him due to you not letting him go to the Emperor's palace. Nevertheless, he has improved." Po replied.

Tigress rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he'll get over it. Speaking of him, where is he?"

"He said he was going to go to the noodle shop for a snack."

"Well, he b—"

A cough rang through the main hall, but it didn't belong to Po or the tiger.

Tigress stopped mid-sentence and whirled around to face thirty wolves in all black with a symbol of two intertwined snakes on each of their chests.

"How did you breach the palace?" Po asked grimly.

"Quite easy when the wall is simple to get over." One jeered.

"Hey, are we gonna kill these two or what?" Another soldier asked.

"Hey, shut up, Yun! We're getting to it!" A third shot.

"I will punch you, Gin-Fo! I just wanna get this thing done so we can get back to the barracks!" The soldier named Yun retorted.

"Come on! Punch me! Go ahead!" Gin-Fo exclaimed, holding his arms out.

The apparent leader of the group of soldiers came up and smacked their heads together.

"Focus! The boss wants this done quick and easy!" The lead wolf exclaimed.

The soldiers re-focused and charged the two masters, preparing to take them down.

*With Tang*

"I still can't believe that I couldn't go! It's so unfair!" The panda complained to himself as he walked down an abandoned alley towards his grandpa's noodle shop.

"You want to talk about unfair, panda?" A snow leopard asked, emerging from the shadows. "Unfair is when your power hungry father abandons his family, only to be thrown in jail and killed by the "legendary" Dragon Warrior? Unfair is when your father leaves you before you even got to know him. Unfair is when you try to seek him out years later, you learn that he was destroyed by a fat panda!"

Tang stopped in his tracks and got into his fighting stance. "My dad? He killed your—wait…Tai Lung? Tai Lung was your dad?"

"Correct. I plan to make your father suffer just as I have suffered all of these years. Starting with your death."

The leopard lunged at Tang with ferocity. The panda quickly blocked his foe's punches to his face and swiped his opponent's feet out from under him. Tang threw a punch towards the leopard's face, but the cat grabbed Tang's fist and spun him around in air before slamming him into the ground. The cat began to pummel Tang in the chest and stomach quickly and precisely, leaving the panda wheezing and coughing by the time he was done.

"Does that hurt? That's just a scratch compared to what I've endured!" The snow leopard hissed. "Before I finish you, I want you to remember this name for the last ten seconds you're still alive: Xin."

Xin's fists became enveloped in a light blue light as he raised them over his head, preparing to end the panda.

*With Overlord*

The figure in black stood on a rooftop that belonged to a small trade business. This was the ideal spot for watching Xin fight Tang and his soldiers fight the two masters. Xin was doing excellent, he was about to end the younger panda. His soldiers however, were already defeated and were retreating down the palace steps, making a b-line to his hideout. He saw Master Tigress chasing them down, about to catch one of them.

_I can't let her interrogate my men. Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty today after all._ Overlord thought.

Before the tiger could grab one of his wolves, Overlord threw three kunai at Tigress. The three blades slammed into the stone in front of her, making the master skid to a stop. She looked furiously in the direction of the ninja in black and began to make her way up on to the rooftops. Soon, she stood about five rooftops away from him, waiting to attack.

"Who are you?" Tigress demanded.

Overlord remained silent. He flipped a very small switch on the armor on his arm and the tips of the metal covering his fingers lengthened into five sharp, black claws.

"Answer me or I will fight!" The tiger master threatened.

The ninja in black just got into his fighting stance. He must give Xin a little more time to finish off the panda.

"So be it." Tigress spat before charging towards the figure.

**There it is! The new chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed!**

**Leave your review with your thoughts about this whole ordeal.**

**In case any of you are wondering, this whole thing will NOT be wrapped up in one story. Not even close.**

**I'll write the new chapter around Monday night!**

**More to come…**


	8. The Power of Overlord

**Hey guys! Just gonna start this chapter now. Not much to say…**

*With Dega*

"Alright, brains. The first fun thing we're gonna do is go to one of the local dance clubs in this fine city! Dancing with your friends is one of the most fun things I can think of. So, what's your type of music; slow or fast?" Dega asked.

"Well, let's tr-try b-b-both." Lily sputtered.

The tiger lion grinned widely. "I was hoping you'd say that. Let's go!"

The two went off to find a dance club, marking the beginning of Lily's "experiment."

*With Tang*

"Goodbye, panda." The snow leopard stated before bringing his fists down upon Tang.

Just before Xin's glowing fists hit the panda, Tang's hands shot out and grabbed his foe's arms. Tang winced in pain as his hands became engulfed in the blue aura also. The panda gave a sharp kick to Xin's chest, sending the attacker flying into the air. The leopard got up and glared at Tang.

"Here kitty-kitty." The panda taunted, motioning for his opponent to strike first.

Xin roared in anger as he charged towards the hero, but Tang slid under the leopard and swung him around by his tail. After slamming his foe into the building walls several times, Tang threw the snow leopard to the ground and body slammed him. Tang got up and pulled Xin off the ground with him. He held the battered snow leopard by his shirt and Tang grinned widely.

"Never fight me again. I won't go so easy on you next time." Tang stated.

"Cockiness and overconfidence can lead to death, Tang." Xin hissed weakly.

Just then, Tang felt someone lift him off of the ground and slam his head into a wall.

The teen fell to the ground unconscious.

*With Overlord, ten minutes earlier*

Before Tigress could slam her fists into his face, Overlord grabbed her hands and pulled the tiger towards him. He quickly slammed his foot into her chest, making Tigress stagger back. He quickly kicked Tigress into the air three times and slammed his fists into her face rapidly. After Tigress regained her balance, Overlord swiped her feet out from under her and brought his claws to her throat. Tigress glared sharply at her foe and flipped over, knocking Overlord off of her. The figure in black flipped off of her and landed on his feet with amazing grace. Tigress roared and charged towards him, but before she arrived, he flipped over the tiger and landed behind her. The black ninja quickly kicked out the back of her legs and brought her to her knees. With one swift motion, Overlord grabbed Tigress' arm and bent it back quickly, breaking it.

Tigress howled in pain as she grabbed her now useless arm.

"How…? How did you manage to wound me?" She snarled.

Overlord just stood before her with his arms crossed. He shook his head in pity and was trying to decide if he should use his strength to end the tiger master or conserve it for possible later use.

He decided to kill her now.

He rushed towards the injured master and slammed his knee into her chin. Tigress fell backward and hit her head on the rooftop, making her vision blur. Overlord slammed his foot down on the female tiger's face eight times before starting to choke her slowly.

His eyes gleamed as he witnessed Tigress slowly start to die before him.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

*With Dega and Lily*

"Here it is! Since the fast dancing thing wasn't your style, maybe slow dancing is. Uh, I've never slow dance with a snake before, so I really don't know where to put my hands…"

The two had arrived at a modern dance club that was known for its slow dance music. Soft music played in the background and the entire building was dimly lit. Waiters rushed to different tables, carrying food for hungry couples.

"W-well, you put your right hand here…" Lily stumbled, putting her friend's hand at the top of her flexible spine. "Then you put your left hand a little farther down my back."

Dega did as he was told, but paled when Lily hissed at him.

"Too far down!" She snapped.

"Sorry…Sorry…"

After he adjusted his position, Lily wrapped her tail around his arm and they began to slowly dance back and forth.

_I bet you like this, huh? Slow dancing with the girl you like…"_ Los cheered.

_Shut up, bro! This is just one of her experiments. Nothing more!_ Dega thought.

"You're having a conversation with Los, aren't you?" Lily asked.

The tiger lion was shocked. "Why do you think that?"

"You contort your face whenever you talk to him."

"Oh…Hey! You're not stuttering anymore! You feeling more relaxed now?" Dega asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh…I guess so."

"Cool. Hey, after this, we should definitely go shooting across the city in a mega-cannon that I can summon."

"I don't know…"

"It'd be fun! Come on, Professor!"

"It sounds stupid and dangerous…" Lily replied uneasily.

"That's part of fun!" Dega cheered.

The snake sighed. "Alright…"

_Killer! Lady killer!_ Los exclaimed.

_Shut up before I mentally beat the tar out of you._ Dega thought.

*With Tang and Lupa*

After Lupa climbed onto the avian's back, Zan took off into the sky and started to soar over the city. Buildings with golden roofs shone when the sunlight hit them, a light breeze traveled on the air, and the grass, trees, and flowers swayed in the wind. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

The female tiger lion gasped. "It's amazing from up here! It must take your breath away every time!"

"Well, it does have its advantages. Uh, how's Sin and Kai?" The bird asked.

"Oh, their fine. Sin's a great guy, but I don't think I'll go for him, though. He's too violence-prone. Kai on the other hand is sweet, kind, handsome, smart, funny…"

Lupa stopped when she noticed a forlorn look on Zan's face.

"Is everything alright, Zan?" Lupa asked.

"Yeah! It's fine! I'm just…thinking."

_Stupid Dega. Giving me horrible advice! The bad boy act would've gotten me nowhere!_ The bird thought.

"Sashi says that you should discuss whatever is troubling you." Lupa added.

"Well, I don't think that I should right now. Maybe later…" Zan sighed before swooping through the streets.

*With Overlord*

Tigress' face began to turn blue as she desperately gasped for air, but to no avail.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

Nothing, except for the Dragon Warrior.

Overlord received a blow the face from the panda's wooden staff, sending him flying into the air. The black ninja's face slammed into the roof of the building, sending a crack shooting down his mask. Overlord stood up and glared at the two masters. Po was standing behind his wife with a look of peace and anger on his face. It was hard to pull off such a look, but the panda did it. Tigress was doubled over, gasping for air and groaning in pain while she clutched her broken arm. Overlord reached up and touched the crack running down his mask. Luckily, no piece broke off, meaning nobody could see his face still.

"Who are you?" Po asked with a stern voice.

Overlord laughed as he straightened up. Another benefit to his mask was that it distorted the wearer's voice, making it sound metallic and fake.

"As usual, I've overestimated my opponent." The figure in black stated, looking at the wheezing Tigress. "However you, Dragon Warrior, have exceeded my expectations. Next time, I won't let you catch me off guard. Until then."

With that, Overlord leaped off of the rooftop and ran over to the beaten Xin. Overlord grabbed Tang, lifted him into the air, and slammed his head into a building wall, knocking the young panda out.

"We have to leave. You will get your revenge soon enough, but for now we have to regroup." The figure in black stated rapidly, putting his hand on Xin's shoulder.

The snow leopard nodded before taking off into the shadows, along with his friend, making their way back to the hideout.

*With Dega and Lily*

"Alright. So, what you need to remember is that you need to be prepared when this thing goes off." The tiger lion stated, patting the side of the green outline of a huge cannon. "Other than that, there are no other rules. Hop in!"

Lily cautiously got into the cannon, as opposed to Dega, who excitedly hopped into the machine.

"Once I pull this string, there will be about a five-second delay before we go boom!" The tiger lion laughed.

"Don't say 'boom.'" Lily complained.

"BOOM!"

Dega pulled the string and six seconds later, instead of five, the two shot out of the cannon and were flying over the beautiful city.

"DESPITE THE HIGH POSSIBILITY OF DEATH, WE DO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VIEW!" Dega shouted.

"IT IS AMAZING!" Lily yelled.

"THERE'S ZAN AND LUPA! HEY GUYS!" Dega cheered as they shot under their friends.

Dega's sister and the younger avian smiled and waved as they shot past Lily and the tiger lion.

"HEY DEGA? HOW'RE WE GONNA GET DOWN? I MEAN, DO YOU HAVE A PLAN FOR WHEN WE LAND?" The snake asked.

"OH SHOOT! I TOTALLY SPACED OUT ON THAT PART!" The tiger lion exclaimed, slapping his hand to his forehead.

They both started to shout and scream as they hurtled towards the earth at a blazing speed.

**There it is! Pretty cool chapter, right? No? Okay…**

**Remember to leave a review with your thoughts and such!**

**I'll write the next chapter tomorrow!**

**More to come…**


	9. Into the Fire

**Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed that last chapter! The ending of this story may surprise you, but…Aw shoot. I've said too much. Anyway, here's the next chapter…**

Dega quickly whipped out his power swords and summoned a giant cushion in front of him and Lily before they could hit the ground. The two slammed into the soft padding and slowly got up.

Lily looked over at the pale Dega. "Does one know that they've had fun when their knees are shaking?"

The tiger lion looked down at his quivering legs. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's when y-you know that you've h-had a good ti-time."

With that, Dega collapsed into the cushion in exhaustion.

"I think that we've had enough fun for one day. What say you, Brainiac?" The tired tiger lion asked.

"We're not done! We've got to try more fun things! I like this!" Lily exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "Next, I think we should try cliff diving!"

A mortified Dega shot up to his feet. "What happened to quiet, secluded Lily?"

"She's still there! I have more tests to run on this, though."

_I'm gonna die before the day ends from this._ Dega thought glumly.

_Hey, if you do, we can have an afterlife party!_ Los cheered.

*Later that night, in the Emperor's palace*

Takami, Ryo, and Hope were all lounging around the entrance to the palace in boredom. Of all the things to do here, nothing interested them.

Ryo looked up when he heard the door open and started laughing when Lily brought in a very pale and very rigid Dega. The tiger lion had a look of horror on his face and he was as tense as a statue.

"What happened to him?" Takami asked.

"We had fun!" Lily exclaimed.

"Is that what you call it now?" Hope asked, chuckling slightly.

"Cliff diving…Rocket cart racing…Running from angry bulls…NO MORE FUN!" Dega shouted hysterically before shooting off towards the library. "I NEED QUIET! I NEED BORING! PEACE! SECLUSION!"

"I think you broke him." Ryo exclaimed, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Perhaps I did go a little overboard." The snake replied, rubbing her chin with her tail.

"Ya think? He might need to see the palace therapist! HAHAHAHAHA!" Hope cackled.

*With Po and Tigress*

"Ti, are you okay?" The panda asked in a concerned tone, kneeling down next to his wife.

"Other than my windpipe almost crushed and my broken arm, I'm fine!" Tigress shot.

"Easy! Who was that guy?"

"I don't know, but he was able to predict my every move! He could've killed me if you hadn't shown up! Thanks…" The tiger master replied.

"Whoever he was, I don't think that he's quite done with us. He was here on his own personal vendetta. Those were his henchmen that attacked us. They had the same symbol on them. The questions are who is he and why is he after us?" Po thought out loud.

*With Overlord*

Once they were back at the hideout, Overlord went ballistic on his soldiers.

"I HAD TO STICK MY NECK OUT FOR YOU MORONS BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO INCOMPITENT TO TAKE DOWN TWO, COUNT THEM, TWO MASTERS!" The figure in black shouted.

Overlord ripped off his mask and tossed it away. The face shield clanked on the hard ground as it bounced into a dark corner.

"Just remember this: if you can't complete the next task I give you, I'll find replacements for all of you who can! And the only early retirement you'll ever have if you screw up again is a permanent visit to your graves!" The black figure spat before turning to Xin. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know. I was about to kill the Dragon Warrior when…when…I don't know what happened!" Xin exclaimed.

"Wait. You thought you were fighting the Dragon Warrior?"

"Yes. Was I not?"

"No! You were fighting his son! Tang! If you think that you're going to defeat the Dragon Warrior when you can't even beat his boy, then you're sadly mistaken! Yes, I want the boy dead. Yes, the Dragon Warrior is a pain in our side. However, before you go after the Dragon Warrior, you must wound him! Kill his son! That will be your task now." Overlord explained, growing furious by the minute.

"Alright. How am I going to beat his son when I couldn't beat him the first time?" Xin asked.

"You were unfocused. You showed a weak point in your battle and he took it. You must be fluent with your moves and show no mercy if you are to achieve your goal. My stepfather taught me that. You see, the Dragon Warrior killed my father also, many years ago. That is why we must eliminate him and everyone he cares about! Now, this next time you fight Tang, make sure that you are aggressive in your attacks at all times, or else he will emerge victorious again." The figure in black stated.

"Understood." The snow leopard replied, bowing to his friend.

"Assassin, I want you to go out and eliminate Tang. The boy has been a pain in my side for far too long now, and even though he's been kind to me in the past, I don't think that he will let me kill his parents and rule China, Would you agree?" Overlord asked.

"Of course, Overlord. I don't think that the panda would cooperate. He is weakened now, so he should be an easy kill." Another figure in white and black replied, before taking their staff off of their back, grabbing their skull face mask and exiting the hideout.

"What happened to letting me take him out?" Xin demanded.

"I've changed my mind. If, somehow, my assassin fails, then you can kill him yourself." The figure in black huffed before walking off.

*With Tang, twenty minutes later*

The young panda slowly awoke a little while later. As he attempted to stand up, pain shot through his head and down his body, making Tang collapse to the ground. He was in a weakened state now, so he wasn't really in the physical condition to fight another enemy. He just hoped that no one tried to kill him on his way back to the palace.

"The son of Tai Lung wants revenge on my family and I? Stupid, stupid Tang! You should have jailed him when you had the chance!" The young panda whispered to himself.

Once Tang stumbled to his feet, he staggered over and walked out into the open. The sun was setting now, making it hard to see the people in the streets. One figure, however, was easy to spot.

A tall figure in a white and black cloak with a skull mask on was walking around the center of the village. The mask covered only half of the figure's face, shielding the area from the chin up to the brim on the nose. The person carried a long, metal staff with them and had a dagger strapped to their leg as well as three kunai wich hung from their left hip.

_Definitely a bad guy. Who wears a skull mask and carries around those weapons and turns out to be good?_ Tang thought.

The panda crept out of the shadows and started to make his way back to the palace steps. He was almost there when a voice called out.

"Son of the Dragon Warrior!"

It was the person in black and white. They were standing right behind Tang. Somehow, they managed to sneak up on him without him noticing.

"I have orders to end you now!" The figure called.

The voice sounded like a woman's.

"Uh, well, I'm kinda late for dinner, so we'll have to do this another time!" Tang replied, beginning to run up the steps.

The young panda heard a roar and whirled around to see the figure spin their staff around. Suddenly, the metal bar burst into red flames. It didn't seem to hurt or bother his enemy at all, to Tang's surprise.

The assassin leaped into the air and raised their flaming staff, preparing to finish Tang.

_Twice in one day? Why are all of these people trying to kill me?_ The young panda thought.

*With Xin*

As the snow leopard sat down on the bed in his room that Overlord graciously provided, memories and flashbacks began to flood his mind.

*In Xin's flashbacks*

"Xin, I want you to remember something." Tai Lung stated, kneeling down to face his son. "Whatever people may say of me, do not believe them. I am still your father and I will always be there for you. Remember that?"

"Of course, Daddy!" A very young Xin replied.

The vision shifted and Xin was standing beside his mother.

"Mommy, when is Daddy coming back home?" The young Xin asked.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Xin. He's not coming back." His mother replied sadly.

His flashback shifted again and the snow leopard was now a teenager, sitting in his favorite street food restaurant, waiting for his meal. An Imperial guard came up to him and sat across from him.

"Are you Xin; Tai Lung's kid?" The rhino asked.

"Yeah, why?" The snow leopard questioned.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but your father has turned evil. He's being held in Chorh Gom Prison if you want to visit him." The guard stated.

The only thing the shocked teen could do was put his hands up to his face and sigh.

He knew this was bound to happen.

*End of flashbacks*

Xin's eyes flashed open in a panic. He was drenched in sweat and was breathing heavily while lying in his dirty bed.

The flashbacks.

The memories.

It had happened again.

*With Overlord*

Xin, however, wasn't the only one who was haunted by his past.

After Overlord had ordered to be left alone for a while, he went into his room and began to meditate.

He thought of his plan; his soon to be successful plan.

He thought of his cover out in the world.

He thought of his allies.

But most of all, he thought of his stepfather; the one who had given Overlord the idea of conquering China, and the one who drove him to where he was now.

His stepfather; a wolverine named Sage.

**There it is! The end of that chapter!**

**Pretty big twist at the end there, huh?**

**Note to Animation Universe 2005: Don't worry. I'll introduce Musaki, Summer, and Sierra in the beginning of next chapter. I haven't forgotten them.**

**If you don't know who Sage is, don't worry! I'll explain in the next chapter!**

**Hope you all enjoyed it and remember to leave a review!**

**Follow and favorite this story if you fell that you like it that much!**

**I'll write the next chapter soon!**

**More to come…**


	10. Haunted by the Past

**Hey everyone! Sorry that this is being posted so late, but practice for my sport was horrible today. It went on really late, so that's why I'm uploading this so late. Anyway, for those of you who are confused as to who Sage is, I'll put his past in here as well. I'll also introduce the last of the new OCs from AU2005 in this chapter.**

**Here it is…**

*With Tang*

The young panda barrel rolled to his left, dodging the flaming staff that slammed into the stairs, leaving a crater. Tang slowly got to his feet and looked at the assailant. He was in no shape to fight.

Tang turned and started to run up the steps as fast as he could. The Jade Palace with his parents was his only safe haven. However, being a slightly overweight panda wasn't helpful for his stamina when climbing these steps. Soon, Tang collapsed to his knees, panting heavily. He then shouted in pain when a kunai sunk into the calf of his leg.

The panda slowly turned to see the assassin standing over him, a look of malice in their eyes.

"A pity that I can't torture you. I'd have so much more fun that way! However my boss wants you dead, so dead you shall be!" The attacker stated, unsheathing their dagger. "Goodbye, panda."

Sweat began to pour down Tang's neck and back and his knees began to quiver as the blade was put against his throat. He could hear the female assassin chuckle softly to herself as she prepared to end the young panda.

_Well, this definitely sucks. Wonder what the guys' reactions will be when they find out that I'm gone._ Tang thought.

Suddenly, the young panda felt a blast of wind rush over him and the knife clattered to the ground. Tang looked up to see his father, Po, commanding the winds with Oogway's staff to bombard the assassin. The attacker went flying down the steps and face planted on the ground at the bottom. She looked up at the Dragon Warrior with fury before running off into the night.

Po calmly walked down to the bottom of the steps and picked an object up. It was the half-mask that the assassin had been wearing.

"Are you alright, son?" Po called up to the shaken Tang.

"Y-yeah. J-j-ju-just f-f-fine!" His son sputtered before standing up; his legs were wobbling from the kunai. "Who was that?"

"Someone that I thought was dead." Po stated before walking back up to his son, healing him and then walking back up to the palace.

The Dragon Warrior didn't answer any more questions about the assailant for the rest of the night. Even though Tang didn't detect it, Po was deeply disturbed about the identity of the assassin. If he was correct, then all of the masters, students, and even his family were in danger.

*Later that night, at the Emperor's palace*

"Has Dega calmed down yet?" Zan asked.

"From what I heard, Lily went berserk on fun and overloaded the tiger lion." Arizona replied.

"Well, after a good book and some nice peace and quiet, I think I'm back to normal!" Dega stated, walking up to his friends. "Four of my nine lives were shredded today, but other than that I'm good to go!"

"I said I was sorry!" Lilly complained.

"And I said that I forgive you!" The tiger lion replied. "I'm going to bed! This day has burned my energy! Night guys!"

"Goodnight!" Everyone replied.

As Dega rounded the corner, he accidentally bumped into Max.

"Oh! Sorry Mac Attack; didn't see ya coming!" Dega apologized.

"Mac Attack?" Max questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh shoot! That's right! You don't like it when I call you that!" The tiger lion exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

After thinking about it for a moment, Max came to a conclusion. "Mac Attack will do just fine. It's growing on me!"

After a fist bump and saying their goodnights, Dega went off to his room.

*Around two in the morning*

Horns blasted around the Emperor's palace, waking everyone up with a start. After a little while, a tired and half asleep Takami and Hope stumbled out into the main hall of the palace.

"What's going on?" Takami asked, looking around and rubbing his eyes.

Soon, Lupa, Lily, Hope, Skyler, and Kidd were out in the hall also.

"Okay, who woke me up? I have a bone to pick with them!" Skyler threatened.

Max, Arizona, Faith, Ryo, and Kiba were the next ones to arrive, just as confused as everyone else.

"Hey, wha happen?" A sleepy Dega asked, stumbling into the room and collapsing on the ground, falling back asleep.

"WHO. WOKE. ME. UP?" A very grimy and very angry Kaizer demanded, storming into the main hall.

"ACK! Kaizer's up! Everyone hide! Run! Save yourselves!" Kiba exclaimed, running around the hall before ducking under a bench.

"Children, three intruders have been captured. Come; your parents and masters are waiting for you all before we meet them." The Emperor stated before slithering off into the courtyard.

Once they met with their parents and masters, the group was stunned to see who had been arrested as intruders.

Musaki, Summer, and Sierra were bound in shackles and were kneeling before the Emperor.

"Hey guys! Nice to see you again!" Musaki exclaimed with a smile.

The eighteen year-old giant panda, although actually pretty skinny, was a caring, compassionate, funny, and sarcastic at times being. Once you got to know him well, he would be able to step out of his shy shell and become one of your good friends. The only person he was sarcastic to was Tigress, being that he doesn't like her tough and violent attitude towards her friends. In a tight situation, Musaki could unleash some unexpected supernatural powers and he possessed the ability to figure out people's feelings and thoughts by their words and gestures.

Summer, a seventeen and a half giant panda, is a very kind, sweet, and caring person, just like her boyfriend Musaki. An orphan when she was little, she met Musaki when she was younger; however they became separated for quite a fair amount of time. Years later, at a dance, she met up with her now boyfriend and they instantly hit it off. Although she has no special powers or abilities, she still can fight very well.

Sierra, the girlfriend of Arizona, was an eighteen year-old grey wolf. The adopted sister of Summer, Sierra is quite the happy, kind, bubbly individual, but when it comes to the ones she cares about, she can fight with the best of them.

"Zona! Hey! We heard that you guys were over here, so we made a detour on our way home to say hi and check this place out, but as you can see, we didn't really get a warm welcome." Sierra cheered.

"You can let them go, Sire. One is a student of ours and the other two are our friends." Crane explained.

"I remember when I was thought to be an assassin, arrested, brought before the old emperor and was threatened to be killed. Good times, good times." Kiro reminisced.

Once the three were unchained, the friends talked for a little bit before saying goodnight yet again and heading back to bed. Lily and Lupa had to carry the still sleeping Dega back to his room.

*With Overlord, in his vision*

"Dad, when are we gonna go camping like you asked?" The young boy asked.

"Not now, son. I'm trying to figure out my strategy." The boy's father, Sage, replied.

"All you do is work. You're probably never gonna take over China anyway!" The child shot.

"NEVER say that!" The wolverine hissed, getting up from his seat. "I'm close. I can feel it. All I need is to gather more men so I have enough to divide them in to two factions: one to take over the royal palace and the other to take out the kung-fu headquarters."

"What if you try to use an assassin to take out the Emperor? Then you can focus on one point." The young Overlord explained.

The boy loved helping his stepfather with battle strategies, even if Sage's ideas were far-fetched.

"Not a bad idea, boy. Not a bad one at all. I'll hire someone as soon as possible." The wolverine stated before going back to work.

Overlord's vision shifted and he was now a slightly older version of himself than last time.

He was standing before his stepfather in combat gear. Sage stood before his son with a big smile on his face.

"So you really want to learn how to fight?" The wolverine asked.

"Of course. My biological father was never big on violence, but I think that it solves problems!" The boy replied.

"Yes; it can start problems and finish them. Specific problems like our government in this country. Anyway, let us begin."

The vision shifted again and this time, a young teen was standing before his stepfather, tired and worn out.

"You've come far in your training since you've first started. However, I want you to seek out Grandmaster Feng. He's the leader of China's criminals as well as my boss. He will continue your training from here. I have taught you all I know." Sage explained.

"Of course. Where can I find him?"

"Di Ki Mountains. You'll know the location when you see it. It's a little ways south of here." The wolverine responded.

Overlord's dream shifted again, and he was now a teen in combat gear, standing in a darkened cavern.

"Your stepfather is doing well with his conquest I hear." Grandmaster Feng boomed. "I just hope that he doesn't kill the Emperor. I know that they have bad blood between each other, but I would like both of them alive."

"I've heard that he almost has taken all of China. Even the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five are unable to stop him! I never thought that my stepfather would actually do it." The teenage Overlord stated.

"He has made both of us proud." The dragon stated, sitting back on his throne of rock.

His dream changed again, and this time he was looking out upon the battle going on by the kung-fu headquarters.

The teen was standing on a rocky ledge, looking out upon his stepfather, fighting his enemies. He witnessed Sage plunge his claws into a female wolf and then a few minutes later, proceed to do the same thing to a male bobcat. Everything was going as his stepfather said it would go.

However, horror struck the teen when he witnessed the Dragon Warrior become enveloped in a red aura of a dragon and throw the wolverine toward the mountains. Overlord cried out to Sage, but the wolverine didn't hear him.

The teen's stepfather slammed into the mountainside, killing the wolverine upon impact.

For the final time, the figure in black's vision changed and he was now standing in a mountain range.

Overlord bent over his limp stepfather and began to weep softly. He had just lost the one person, other than his mother, who had mattered to him most. In a way, Sage was like his real father, being that he had never really met his biological one and that Sage was almost always there for him.

He looked one last time at the bruised, battered, and scarred face of the wolverine, whose eyes remained looking up at the sky. Sage had been so close to his dream, yet was beaten down when he tried to achieve it.

The teen shut his father's eye lids before starting the long walk home.

He paid no heed to the celebration going on by the kung-fu headquarters, nor the weeping Kiro Takimuro as the white tiger bent over the dead bodies of his friends, Los and Sashi.

No, for it was then then that he vowed that he would kill the Dragon Warrior, his friends, and anyone he had ever cared about.

*End of vision*

Overlord snapped his eyes open. He was still in his room, in his meditating position.

His nightmare had occurred again.

Tears streamed down his face. Overlord was shaking and his thoughts became distorted. He could almost hear his mother from the grave, telling him not to continue down the path that his stepfather had taken.

But it was too late.

He could not turn back now, for he would succeed where his father failed.

No, he was going to do what his father could not.

He was going to finish Sage's mission.

Sage's legacy.

**There it is! A little enlightenment on the past of Overlord for you guys. Maybe this will have you formulate an opinion on who he is.**

**Remember to leave a review with your thoughts!**

**Note to Animation Universe 2005: There it is; all of your major OCs explained and introduced. And I also put in Mac Attack for ya.**

**I'll write again soon, but with my state graduation tests this week, lots of homework, and hard practices for track, I can't make any promises that I'd post a new chapter every single day!**

**More to come…**


	11. A Chilling Message

**Hey everyone! Now that you guys know about Overlord's past and what drove him to where he is now, on to more action and mystery!**

**Here's the new chapter…**

*With Tang*

After a little bit of rest, Tang decided to get up and check on his dad to see what he was doing. He got up and lumbered over to his parent's room, but hesitated from opening the door when he heard Po and Tigress whispering to each other.

"What? I thought that the assassin was dead!" Tigress hissed.

"So did I, but apparently not. Unless she came back as a ghost, which could be an option..."

"Po!"

"... Then she's working for someone new now. Probably the guy who attacked you today or at least works with them." The master of the Jade Palace explained. "I also found these on the inside of the mask."

After a pause Tigress spoke. "Black hairs? That proves it then! The assassin is still alive! Wait until I get my paws on that…Tang? Go back to your room."

Tang paled. "H-how did you know I was here?"

"Cats have great hearing, remember? Now go lie down and rest your leg or you'll have double the intensity on your training tomorrow." His mother replied.

The young panda quickly rushed back to his room and jumped in bed. He didn't realize how tired he was until his eyelids started t droop and he fell asleep.

*With Xin*

The snow leopard was training with high ferocity in the training room provided by Overlord. Despite being dark and smelly, Xin was actually enjoying the room and the equipment. It was a good outlet for his anger.

He approached a wooden dummy and envisioned Tang's face on it. Being beaten by the young, fat panda was not going to happen a second time. The snow leopard began to punch and kick the dummy with force. As flashbacks from his past shot through his mind, each hit became stronger and stronger. Cracks started to form in the wooden figure until Xin delivered the final blow, knocking the head of the dummy off.

After catching his breath, Xin heard someone behind him. He turned to face the assassin that Overlord had brought onto his team.

"If you want a real challenge, then you'll spar with me. It'll prepare you better than something that can't fight back." The woman purred.

"No weapons?" The snow leopard asked.

"You take the fun out of everything. Deal." The assailant replied, shedding the staff and kunai, as well as her dagger.

Both got into their fighting stance. After a short pause, Xin rushed his opponent. He kicked and punched as hard as he could at the assassin, but she blocked every attack and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into a wall. Xin regained his balance and prepared to defend himself. The attacker charged him and started bombarding him with punches and kicks, but quickly pinned Xin when she pulled out a hidden dagger and held it to his throat.

"Hey! We agreed to no weapons!" The snow leopard shot.

"Do you honestly think that the boy will fight fairly? Let me enlighten you on something. He is more like his moron of a father than you think. The Dragon Warrior, back when he was fighting your father, used his surroundings and anything he could to fight Tai Lung. That is why he defeated your dad. When Tai Lung was already beaten, the panda could have easily arrested him and thrown him back in jail, but no! The Dragon Warrior had to kill him with the Wushi finger hold!" The woman explained.

Xin grew furious and quickly batted the blade away from him before using both of his feet to kick the assassin across the room. The lady hit the wall hard, but shrugged it off quickly.

"I don't fight fair either." Xin snarled before his hands became engulfed in blue fire and he rushed his opponent.

*With Po, in his dream*

After a while, the panda fell asleep in his bed.

Po had a dream then; a dream that he was standing outside of the kung-fu headquarters alone.

"Hello? Anyone here?" The panda called out, but received no reply.

He looked around and noticed a bowl of dumplings sitting on a pedestal in the courtyard of the headquarters building. Po made over it and rushed over to eat the whole thing, but was stopped when someone hiding from behind the door kicked him. The Dragon Warrior rolled across the ground and slowly got up to face his attacker.

"You…" He whispered.

"Yes, me." Sage stated, stepping towards the panda. "Hello again, Dragon Warrior. Guys, let's say hi to our old friend!"

From out of the shadows of the courtyard, Tai Lung, Shen, and Emperor Jow stepped out into the light.

"Hello, panda! We meet again!" Shen stated, walking up to Po with a smirk.

"Dragon Warrior, if that's what you still call yourself, it's nice to see you again, old chum!" Tai Lung jeered before kicking Po in the chin.

"Remember me?" Emperor Jow asked. "I'm the Japanese emperor that you let die to save China! You killed me so I wouldn't continue to attack your country!"

Emperor Jow was the previous Emperor of Japan many years ago. He had turned Tigress against Po and the others for a brief amount of time, tortured Kiro, killed his own son, and almost obliterated China with his army.

"What do you all want? You're all supposed to be dead!" Po exclaimed.

"Exactly! We're all dead because of YOU!" Tai Lung hissed.

"We're here to deliver a message." Sage replied smugly. "You will find those you care about in suffering greater than you could ever imagine. All of those close to you will become targets, and it will be up to your son to save them. However, he cannot and will not be able to save them all."

"Side by side your students will fight; using their skills and all of their might. But when they enter Overlord's domain, all will fall and one will remain." Tai Lung stated before kicking the panda.

Then, Po blacked out.

*End of dream*

Po shot out of bed in terror. He was shaking all over, his heart was racing, and sweat was trickling down his face.

_What a nightmare. It seemed so real. Snap out of it, Po! It was just a bad dream is all._ The Dragoon Warrior thought before sighing and going back to sleep.

*With Kiro, in his subconscious*

"Okay, what's the deal? Where's Song, Los, and Sashi like usual?" The white tiger asked, looking around.

He was standing in the typical grassy field surrounded by white light in the afterlife; however, he wasn't dead.

"I wanted to speak with you, Kiro." A red panda stated, stepping out from the light.

"Master Shifu! You haven't aged a bit! How long has it been, twenty years?" Kiro exclaimed, giving the master a hug.

Shifu grunted uncomfortably and pushed away from the joyful tiger. "It is nice to see you as well. What I wanted to speak to you about is about your last major mission. Do you recall the battle between the Japanese emperor's army and Tigress?"

"Of course! How could I forget that? Forever burned into my kitty skull!"

"So you do recall…the one who blinded you."

"Zina? Yeah, I remember that black tiger. Tortured the heck outa me. Some cousin she was…"

"Do you recall when you defeated her?" Shifu pried.

"Sure do! Wacked her high into the sky with a giant mallet I summoned up! Best feeling ever! But she died from the impact to the ground. Why are you asking me all of this?"

"Because, Kiro…" Master Shifu stated, "…Zina is still very much alive. And she wants blood."


	12. The First Rule of Fight Club

"Whaaaaa? Zina? How? How is she still alive?" Kiro asked, surprised.

"She landed in one of Japan's lakes." Shifu replied simply.

"That would do it…" The white tiger muttered. "So where can I find her? I'll beat her just like last time!"

"She does not want to be found at the moment. As far as her strength goes, she has doubled her training regimen and has acquired better weapons. In short, she is better than you right now." The red panda explained.

"Alright. Send me back. I've gotta warn the others." Kiro commanded.

"Very well, but remember this, Kiro. The real fight has yet to begin."

With that, the white light shone brightly and then everything went black.

*With the Emperor*

"Sir, the new bodyguards have arrived." A rhino stated, standing at attention.

"Excellent! Show them their rooms and give them a tour of the palace! I'll speak with them later." The serpent commanded before ordering for the warriors of the Jade Palace to come before him.

A few moments later, the masters and students were standing at the foot of his throne.

"I heard that your were leaving already!" The Emperor exclaimed.

"That's right, Your Majesty. We have received information that an old and very deadly threat may be harboring in or near our home. We have to leave immediately." Mei Ling replied.

"Hm. And, do you know the identity of this threat?"

"Yes. Her name is Zina and she was the Japanese emperor's personal assassin many years ago. We thought she was dead, but…apparently not." Monkey responded.

"Very well! I will allow you to be on your way, but first I want provisions to go along with you. After all, one must eat SOMETHING." The snake stated. "Also, tell Master Tigress and the Dragon Warrior that I'm sorry that they couldn't come to visit and that I send my regards."

The heroes nodded and went to pack their things.

*With Xin*

The snow leopard and the assassin stood across from each other, out of breath and panting heavily.

"Good…workout." Xin huffed.

"You didn't do so bad yourself." The assailant sighed.

"So, why did Overlord bring you here?"

"Well, a few years ago, after my home was destroyed by the Dragon Warrior and his friends…" The assassin began, clenching her teeth when she spoke of Po and the others, "…Overlord came to Japan. He apparently had heard of my skills and asked if I wanted to get revenge on the panda and his comrades. Of course I agreed. So, I left Japan and came over here where I acquired new weapons, a new outfit to fight in, and I began to double my training regimen."

"Sounds like you hate them as much as I do. What's your name? You know mine, but I don't know yours." Xin asked.

"My name's Zina." The black tiger assassin replied.

*With Overlord*

"You wanted to see me, Overlord?" The jaguar in blue asked, stepping into the figure in black's room.

"Yes." Overlord replied, shedding his cloak and fixing his hair. "I want you to tell me my future again."

"Uh, if you don't mind me asking, why?"

"I do mind you asking. Now, tell me."

The jaguar hesitated then closed his eyes. After a few minutes, he reopened them and sighed. "Unless you defeat the child of the Dragon Warrior, you will be defeated like all those before you."

Overlord's left eye twitched slightly in anger, however he managed to keep a cool attitude and mind. "Thank you. You are dismissed, X."

The cat who went by the name of Jaguar X nodded and exited the room.

"Tang, why do you have to stand in my way? It'd be so simple if you weren't the Dragon Warrior's boy. But in order to achieve what my father could not, I need you dead." Overlord muttered.

The figure got up, messed up his clothes a little, fixed his appearance, and jogged back outside.

*With Tang, ten minutes later*

The panda had been lying down on a couch in the main hall for a little while now after he had finished his nap. Boredom was already taking its toll on him, but Tang couldn't do anything due to his leg.

He heard the doors to the palace open and saw Kai walk in.

The fox whistled loudly. "This place always amazes me whenever I walk in. I heard about your leg, man. How is it?"

"Oh, its fine I guess. Sucks that I can't move it much." The young panda replied.

"I hear ya. Wasn't a party every day when I broke my leg one time and the doc had me in bed for weeks. What happened to it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Some woman tried to kill me and ended up stabbing my leg." Tang replied.

"Wow. She must've had pretty bad eyes if she was aiming to kill you and ended up stabbing your thigh." Kai joked.

"Yeah, I guess you're right!" Tang laughed. "I could've used some back-up!"

Kai lowered his voice a little and got into his fighting stance. "You messin' with my friend? You messin' with MY FRIEND? Alright, it looks like you and I are gonna have a scuffle!"

Tang burst out laughing at the end of the fox's skit. "It sounds like a mixture of Dega, Kiba, and Sin; the joking but with a tough guy act!"

Kai chuckled and paused for a moment. "Yeah, there's another thing I was ask you about. I was wondering if you've seen my brother around anywhere. He's been gone for quite some time and I'm starting to get a little worried. You see him around here?"

"Nope. Sorry Kai, but Sin hasn't been around here for a while either. He's probably down by the fighting arena. Check there!" The young panda suggested.

Kai smiled and started to jog out of the palace. "Thanks, man! Get well soon!"

*With Sin*

The brown and grey fox looked up at the fight club sign that hung from the side of the building. The structure itself was very shabby and molded, but on the inside it was fixed up in the best way it could be.

Sin knocked on the door and a muscular bull greeted him.

"You lost, guy?" The bouncer asked.

Sin shook his head. "No. I'm a regular here. You should get it through your thick skull that I always come here during the week. Remember me at all?"

"You got a problem, buddy?" The bull asked, anger radiating from his question.

The fox just sighed, pulled up his shirt, and showed the bouncer a symbol on his left pectoral.

"Oh, so sorry. I didn't recognize you at first. Come on in." The bull apologized quickly, then motioned for Sin to enter.

After walking inside the building, Sin took a big whiff of the sweat filled air and coughed.

_Home sweet home._ He thought.

The fox walked over to a monkey sitting by a table, drinking a cup of cider and sat down next to him.

"So who's got the best chances of winning today, Gu?" Sin asked.

Gu was a bookie for the fight club and always had enough resources to move throughout the valley undetected.

"The odds are in the favor of Mi-Wha against Quin; four to one." The chimp replied.

Sin tossed a bag of coins on to the table. "Two hundred yuans on Mi-Wha then! Also, put me down for a fight against Pilo. I want a rematch from last time."

"Done deal, Sin." Gu stated, taking the money off of the table. "How's your brother and your lady friend?"

"Aw, Kai's still his usual goody-goody self and Lupa's with her friends visiting the emperor himself."

"That so? His Royal Highness? The one who thinks that China is almost completely cleared of all of us criminals? That one?"

"No other one. Not so clean and tidy like he thinks, huh?" Sin laughed.

"Yeah! Hey listen, I gotta go cash these coins and sign you up. I'll be back, alright?" Gu stated, standing up.

"Alright, but you better return ya smelly baboon!" The fox called, then busted out laughing. "Hey! Server! Yeah, one cup of cider! Double the sour!"

*Twenty minutes later*

"Our next fight is between Sin and Pilo!" The announcer called. "Remember, no weapons!"

Sin nodded and got into his fighting stance.

Pilo, a hardcore street fighter, was a mountain lion and one of Sin's greatest rivals when it came to fighting. The cat sighed and tossed his dagger off to the side.

"Fight!" The announcer called out, and the two began to circle the mat.

Customers began to shout and chant at the two fighters. People started to bet on who would win the fight and others were quietly watching the fight from the side.

"You know how this ended last time, Sin." Pilo growled.

"Yeah, well that was last time. This is a new fight!" The fox snarled. "Besides, this fight'll be over in a matter of seconds!"

Sin began to gather a wad of spit in his mouth as he waited for just the right moment.

"Oh? And why do you think that?" The mountain lion asked.

In response, Sin quickly spit in Pilo's eye, making the cat cover that eye with both of his hands and snarl in pain. Sin jumped in the air and slammed his opponent's head down on his knee, breaking his nose and bruising his mouth. The fox swiftly knocked the injured Pilo's legs out from under him and drilled his elbow into the cat's back, slamming Pilo to the ground. The mountain lion groaned as Sin lifted up his head and slammed it into the mat, knocking the cat out.

People erupted around the mat, either cheering and chanting Sin's name or hissing and booing at the fox since they had lost a bet. Sin held his hands up in the air triumphantly and rolled the out cold Pilo over with his foot. Once the fox had climbed down from the mat, Gu ran up to him.

"That was an epic fight! He didn't even have time to react to your attacks, let alone hit you!" The chimp exclaimed. "You also won that bet with Mi-Wha! You now have four hundred yuans! Great show, boy!"

"Glad to have performed. I've had a lot of anger built up in me this past week, and I just wanted to let it out." The fox replied. "Server! Another cup of double sour cider!"

Once the brown and grey fox had received his drink, he downed it swiftly and tossed it to the side.

_I love this place. This is where I belong._ Sin thought.

"Hey Sin! Your brother's here to see you!" The bouncer called out.

_Well that can't be good._

Sin walked out of the building with Kai right behind him.

"We need to talk." Kai fumed. "Now."

**And that's the end of that chapter!**

**Not much plot development, I know, but I have to set up the story so it can continue.**

**I'll hopefully post more tomorrow night!**

**Remember to leave a review!**

**More to come…**


	13. Always Watching

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews and the PMs and all that good stuff! It really makes me happy!**

**Just letting you guys know that after this chapter, it might be a few days before I post again, because I'm gonna send the chapter after this one over to M4dG4rl and Fox Mcloud SNR to edit. Just letting you guys know so you don't freak out and be all like 'He hasn't posted in three days! I must spam his PM box and tell him about this so he posts more! Not all of you do that, but there has been a couple.**

**I've also created a new poll! Go check it out and vote for your two favorite warriors in my KFP Next Gen series!**

**Any who, here's the new chapter…**

*With Kai*

"I've overturned every rock in this valley looking for you, and I find you here. I find you at the fighting club." Kai fumed. "Why were you in there?"

"Relax, Kai. I was just making some money and having a few laughs." Sin assured.

"There are criminals in there! Do you want the Imperial Guards to find you in there?" The fox hissed.

"Just because there are criminals in the building doesn't automatically make me one. I was just talking with Gu."

"You were talking with that chimp! Associating with scum makes you one of them! I have a hard enough time keeping your criminal side a secret! What if the others found out that you were a crook, huh? A street fighter for hire! That's illegal!"

"Chill, bro. Nobody other than Tang knows. The panda won't turn me in! We're too good of friends!"

"Tang won't turn you in because that would damage his friendship with you and I. It would also hurt the others and absolutely wreck Lupa's feelings! He knows that turning you in would do more damage than good!" Kai shot. "Besides, why do you need the money? We're already fine on our own!"

"I have things that I'd like to buy…" Sin replied coolly.

"Then. Get. A. Job." The orange fox fumed. "You could become a professional fighter for China!"

"Nah, those guys are weak sauce to me. I need more of a challenge."

"Fine! Do whatever you want! Just remember when you're in over your head that I tried to warn you. I tried to steer you away from this." The orange fox exclaimed, storming off.

*With the warriors, three days later*

"Well, we're back. We should head back to the palace to alert Po and Tigress." Mantis chimed.

The others agreed and began to make their way back to their home. Along the way, they couldn't help but feel like they were being watched, and after about half way back home, Takami proved them right.

"Hey! You! Why're you following us?" The Bengal tiger demanded, approaching a figure in a blue who'd been tailing them for quite some time.

"Well, that's my queue to leave!" The cat exclaimed before taking off.

"Hey! Stop!" Ryo called out as he and Max joined Takami in the pursuit of their follower.

The figure in blue combat armor leaped onto a small building and began running across the rooftops. The cat had to dodge Takami's blasts of fire as they made their way back the way they had come. Max sprung up onto the rooftops and began to chase the mysterious person across the rooftops. Ryo sped ahead of the two and was going to attempt to cut their follower off on the opposite side of the building rooftops.

*With Jaguar X*

The cat panted heavily as he tried to shake Max from behind him, but it was no use. The Bengal white tiger was gaining on him. Soon Max lunged for the jaguar, but X turned, caught him, flipped in the air, and kicked the tiger back to where Max had previously been.

X looked up and saw Ryo Mercer heading straight for him with a look of determination in his eyes.

_Time to make my exit._ Jaguar X thought.

The cat flipped into the air, turned upside down so his head was facing the ground, and plummeted through a gap between the buildings. He made a swift motion with his hands and a portal appeared in the ground. X hurtled through the rift and closed it behind him, leaving a very confused Max, Takami, and Ryo when they arrived to find that he had vanished.

*With Overlord*

The figure in black's ears twitched slightly when he heard the sound of a portal open behind him. He turned to see a very tired Jaguar X step out of the rift and sit down in a chair.

"Didn't go as we planned I take it?" Overlord asked.

X shook his head. "No. Sorry Overlord, but they saw me half way back to the palace. Gave me a good chase too, but I managed to portal out of there before they could catch me."

"Summoning those rifts are a handy tool. I'm glad that I have you on my side. I'll need your services later I predict."

"Alright. How's our banker doing?"

"Alright. They've made a nice amount of money so far, and we almost have enough to buy the rest of the weapons we need for phase two of our plan." Overlord replied.

"What was phase one again?"

"You're not a very bright individual, but I hired you for your talents, not your brains. Phase one was to smuggle enough ammunition and supplies into the various cities for our cause. Once the banker gets us the rest of the money we need, we'll have enough to buy the necessary weapons." The figure in black explained.

"And you deal with this banker directly?"

"Of course not! I make the transactions with one of my henchmen. Much easier that way and much more efficient." Overlord scoffed. "Ready some of the soldiers! I want to try to recruit a new member…"

*Later that night, with Dega*

"Welp, as much fun as I had at the Emperor's place, it feels good to be home!" Zan stated, stretching.

"Must. Sleep. So. Tired." Kiba groaned, heading off to his room.

"Kaizer must've been exhausted. He went off to his room immediately when we arrived." Skyler said, yawning.

"Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm heading off to bed." Hope exclaimed, heading off to his room.

Faith nodded slowly. "Yeah, this cheetah's outa gass."

Kovu and Kidd said their goodnights and went off to sleep and Lupa and Lily did the same.

"Where'd Saki and Summer go?" Dega asked.

"You must've really been tired. They're back at their home in the village." Max replied.

"You look burned out, dude." Arizona stated, patting his tired friend on the back.

"Well boys, I'm going to bed. Zona, if you need me for some reason, you know where to find me!" Sierra cheered, walking off to her room.

The exhausted tiger lion looked over at Arizona and raised his eyebrows up and down a few times. "If ya need her."

The grey wolf chuckled and shook his head. "Goodnight ya crazy cat."

"Where're the others?" Dega asked, looking around sleepily.

"Everyone's gone to bed, Dega. It's just you and I that are still awake." Max explained. "Zona's right. You do look gassed. You should go to bed."

"I will after I say goodnight to Kaizer. I really want to try to be nice to him so someday I can get a laugh outa him." The tiger lion replied, rubbing his eyes.

After saying goodnight to Max, Dega stumbled over sleepily to Kaizer's room and knocked softly. After no one answered, the tiger lion decided to risk his life and open Kaizer's door anyway without permission.

Dega looked around, but didn't see the white tiger anywhere.

"Must be on the roof of the palace thinking again. I'm sssure he won't mind iff I sssleep here for the nighttttt…." Dega slurred before collapsing to the ground fast asleep.

*With Kaizer*

The white tiger awoke suddenly.

All he remembered was that he went into his room and then…nothing.

Kaizer looked around the dark room, but couldn't make out anything. A single candle burned next to him, illuminating his face. The only people Kaizer could make out was a figure in a black and white cloak in the far right corner of the room, and another one in an all-black cloak with a cracked, metal, silver and black dragon mask on. The black cloaked person had their entire right arm encased in black combat armor with spikes and horns traveling up the side and a symbol of two intertwined snakes at the top of the armor.

"Good morning, Kaizer Beelzabub." The figure in the dragon mask stated in a metallic and fake voice.

"Who are you?" The white tiger asked, still dazed from the knockout potion they used on him.

"People call me many names," The figure began, "But for now you can call me Overlord."

The person in the white and black cloak coughed a little, but other than that, they remained silent as the night.

"Shall we begin?" Overlord asked.

**Taadaa! Cliffhanger!**

**What do you think will happen to Kaizer? Stay tuned in a couple of days for more!**

**Remember to leave a review! It always makes me happy to hear from you guys!**

**Also, don't forget to vote in my new poll!**

**More to come…**


	14. Closing Up Shop

"Now," Overlord began, interlocking his fingers, "You're probably wondering why you're here, where this place is, and how you got here, hm? Well, you're here because I've been watching you train and I think that you'd make an excellent addition to my team. You see, we have a certain…goal that we need accomplished and I think with your skills we could move towards that goal faster."

"You're insane if you think I'd help you." Kaizer growled.

"Call me crazy then. You see Kaizer, China will fall to me whether you're on my side or not. The only difference in your outcome is living if you join me and death if you oppose me. I believe we both know what the most logical answer to this proposal would be."

"My answer is still no." The white tiger seethed, pulling at his chains.

"Yes, I had a feeling that you'd say that." Overlord sighed. "Well, as to where this place is, this is obviously my hideout, but I won't tell you where this building is located. How you got here? My men knocked you out when you walked into your room and carried you here by cart. That wraps up the question and answer part of this meeting. My offer is still open, Kaizer. We'll talk again sometime. Zina, will you bring the memory wipe potion over?"

The figure in the white and black cloak disappeared for a minute then came back with a vile of green liquid.

"I would kill you, but I'm afraid that your friends would trace it back to me and start to pursue my identity. No, the time for death will come; for now it is a time for secrecy. Nighty night, Kaizer!" Overlord cheered before opening Kaizer's mouth and forcing the potion down the tiger's throat.

Almost immediately, Kaizer's vision began to blur and his head sank down. It was not long before he was passed out.

*With Tang, the next morning*

After waking up and getting dressed, the young panda started to make his way to the kitchen for some breakfast he heard Dega from a few rooms down trying to explain to Kaizer why he had fallen asleep in the white tiger's room last night.

After a few more minutes of walking he came across Kiba, who was sneaking across the room, approaching an unsuspecting Skyler. The panda opened his mouth to ask what he was doing, but Kiba put his finger to his mouth and kept creeping towards her. Tang shook his head and watched the wolf dog's prank unfold.

"RAH!" Kiba shouted once he was right behind the yellow fox.

Skyler jumped and instinctively grabbed her friend like he was a villain, whirled him around, and threw him across the room and into a wall.

"AUGH! AAAAHHHH! WHY YOU DO THAT? WHY YOU HURT ME?" Kiba shouted.

"Don't scare me next time!" Skyler shot.

After helping Kiba regain his balance, Tang continued to the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast noodles and rice. The only problem was that they were out of noodles.

"Hey everybody, if anyone needs me, I'll be down at Mr. Ping's getting more noodles for breakfast!" Tang called out before walking out of the palace.

*Fifteen minutes later*

Tang was almost to his grandfather's now. As he walked along the side of the street, he breathed in the sweet morning air and looked around. The sun was just coming up and the morning dew was dripping off of the plants outside the shops and the rooftops of the shops.

The panda walked past a type of bird that he didn't really recognize before, but was singing a nice, soft song.

"And in the morninggggg, when you riiiiiise, I see the bright sun in your eyeeeeeees! I walk out and, look at the sky, and I think to myself 'what a lovely surprise!'" The bird sang.

"Nice song." Tang complimented.

"Thank you. I try."

As the bird continued to sing, the panda made his way into his grandpa's shop.

"Grandfather? It's me, Tang! I need to pick up some noodles for breakfast!" Tang called.

No response.

The young panda looked around the shop and was a little surprised to find that the closed sign hadn't been removed yet and that no one was in the shop. Not even the lanterns in the kitchen were lit or the stove heated up.

"Grandpa?"

Tang made his way over to the kitchen door and slowly pushed it open. The goose was nowhere to be found. Nothing looked touched since the night before.

_That's very odd. He's usually running around and preparing food early in the morning. It's not like him to not have things ready to go. Maybe he's picking fresh veggies in his garden out back._

Tang made his way to the other side of the kitchen and pushed the door that led to the house part of the building, open. The panda stepped inside the home and shut the door behind him. The entire house smelled musty and old, and if that weren't the case all the time, Tang would be nervous. As the teen made his way to the backdoor of the house, he bumped into a couple of barrels filled with water for boiling. One barrel tipped over and smashed on the ground, sending water flowing throughout the room and soaking the rugs that were on the ground.

Tang gritted his teeth in frustration and pushed open the back door of the house.

"Sorry about the barrel of water, grandfather. I'll clean…"

Mr. Ping wasn't back in the garden either.

Getting a little worried, the only place left to check was the upstairs. Tang made his way back into the house and slowly crept upstairs. The first place that he checked was the goose's room, however the teen didn't find him there either. The last place to check was his father's old room.

Tang pushed open the door of his dad's old room and walked in. Po's old bed was sitting in the far right corner of the room. Drawers with some of the Dragon Warrior's old pants sat on one side of the room, gathering dust. Posters of kung-fu hung on the walls and his old wooden action figures stood at his window.

All but one action figure.

The Po wooden action figure was lying on the ground.

Right next to the body of an unconscious Mr. Ping.

Tang rushed over to the goose and checked to see if he was alright. The goose was not moving, but his pulse was there.

Very weak, however.

Tang yanked pushed open the window doors and stuck his head out.

"SOMEBODY GET A DOCTOR! QUICK!" The teen yelled.

*With Po*

The masters were eating there breakfast as usual that morning and telling funny stories to each other.

"…Wouldn't ya know that the elephant forgot what I had just said for the FOURTH time!" Kiro exclaimed.

Mantis and Monkey were cracking up.

"Oh man! Go on, bro! Go on!" Monkey laughed.

"And so I tell him, 'You're a frickin' elephant! You're supposed to remember everything! You've got the brain of a mouse!' And I'm not kidding when I tell you that as soon as I said 'mouse' he started running around and freaking out!" The white tiger master finished.

Everyone erupted in laughter except Tigress, who smiled and shook her head.

"Classic! Classic!" Po chuckled.

"Another story!" Viper cheered.

"Go on, tell another one." Mei Ling pushed.

"Alright. I've got a good one. So this guy I know, his name is Gi-ju, is one of the biggest liars I've ever met! He goes up t—"

Kiro was cut off by Zan, who flew into the room.

"Po!" The young avian panted. "Your dad is…in… the hospital!"

The masters quickly looked at each other in shock.

"Aw, shoot. We gotta go!" Kiro stated before taking off with the other masters right behind him.

_I'm coming Dad. Hold on._ Po thought.

**There it is! I'll post more tomorrow night!**

**Remember to leave a review!**

**More to come…**


	15. The Coming Storm

**Hey everyone! Hope you guys are enjoying this story!**

**A brief message for all of you that is very important: ****FANFICTION MAY BE SHUT DOWN!**

**You see, this group SOPA (I have no idea what the acronym is), wants to take down FanFiction as well as the massive number of stories on this site. I don't know why, but I've been told this by a few very trustworthy authors.**

**HOWEVER, there may be hope for saving FF. ****To save FanFiction go to awsmpup's profile and click the first link to sign a petition to save FanFiction. Sign this and it will stop SOPA from taking down FanFiction and deleting the wealth of stories on it.**

**I urge all of you to go do that right now.**

**With that said, here's the new chapter…**

*With Po*

After a heated sprint to the local hospital, Po burst into his father's room to see the goose lying in a cot, asleep. A few jars of medicine sat on a counter near Mr. Ping, and a very worried Tang rocked back and forth in a chair on the opposite side of the room.

The Dragon Warrior rushed to his father's side and gently patted the goose's arm. "Dad? Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Mr. Ping mumbled groggily, waking up, "Oh! Hi, son! What're you doing here? Where am I?"

"Mr. Ping, Tang over there found you unconscious in your home, sprawled out on the floor with a very weak pulse. He saved your life by bringing you here." An ox doctor stated, walking into the room and writing a few things down on his clipboard.

"What happened to me?" The goose asked.

"You had a minor heart attack, Mr. Ping."

"Oh my! How long was I asleep? How can I prevent this from happening again? How ca—"

The goose was cut off by the doctor, who raised his hand for silence. "You were out for about a half hour we estimate. As far as what you can do to prevent it, maybe you shouldn't participate in such stressful tasks, like keeping a restaurant open."

"You're crazy! I can't close down my noodle shop! Who will serve the people fresh noodles? That guy who has that two-bit shop down the street who sells knock-offs of my recipe? I think not!" Mr. Ping spat.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ping, but it's either the noodle shop or your life." The doctor responded.

"Come now, doc, can't the bird do anything else to keep this thing under control? Swim, take long walks, sleep, read books…grow rice? Anything?" Kiro asked.

"I'm sorry, Master Kiro, but I have to eliminate the highest level of stress in his life." The ox responded. "I'm only looking out for the patient."

"But noodles ARE my life!" The goose cried.

"Why don't we find some new people to run it while you supervise them?" Monkey suggested.

"Great idea! Crane, you never do anything of importance, why don't you sign up to help?" Kiro joked.

Crane narrowed his eyes, opened the window he was standing next to, and controlled the wind to lift up the white tiger and fling him out the window.

"I'LL GET BACK AT YOU FOR THIS…!" Kiro cried out as he plummeted down the side of the building.

"I'll be sure to prep a team to check and see if he's alright." The doctor chuckled before walking out of the room.

"Come on, Dad. It's the only way for you to stay alive and keep the shop open!" Po pleaded.

"I'm sure that Dega'd by your biggest customer still, with his hungry ghost friend!" Viper exclaimed.

"Well, I do know a few of my friends who'd be willing to help me out…" Mr. Ping thought aloud," Alright. I'll do it!"

The group of heroes smiled and thanked the goose for not closing down the shop.

"When are they going to discharge you from this place, Mr. Ping?" Tigress asked.

"Yeah, Grandpa, when are you gonna get outa here?" Tang chimed.

"They say I should be out in four days. They want to monitor me to make sure I'm alright, which is a bunch of baloney!" The goose complained.

*With Overlord*

"Are you ready for your fight against Tang, Xin?" Overlord asked, approaching the snow leopard.

"Yes. I've trained hard for this moment and nothing will stand in my way! I will not fail like last time!" Xin snarled, clenching his fists.

"Excellent. At dawn tomorrow, you will attack. For now, I want you to rest and prepare yourself. The fight before you will not be an easy one." The figure advised.

The leopard nodded and walked off to his room.

Overlord turned to Zina, who'd been standing in the shadows, listening to the conversation. "It's not nice to eavesdrop."

"I was here before you arrived. Technically it wasn't eavesdropping." The black tiger replied.

"Hm. Noted. If Xin doesn't succeed this time, I want you to execute our plan B."

Zina smiled. "Both plans are equally as satisfying to me. I want to be there when I see his reaction, though."

"As do I. On a different topic, I sense that something is troubling you. A question perhaps?"

"Yes. What I want to know is, how far back does that memory wipe potion you used on Kaizer go?"

"Well, it wipes the memory going all the way back for a good eight hours. In other words, the last eight hours of Kaizer's life have been wiped clean of his memory."

"I see. Well, I better go prepare the…tools…needed for plan B, if it comes to that." Zina replied, walking off.

Overlord sighed a little and touched his wound.

_One would think that such a wound would heal faster, but I guess scars don't heal completely._

As the figure in black walked outside for some fresh air, thoughts of his stepfather's lifeless body flooded his mind.

_Yes, some scars never heal completely…_

**There it is! Sorry for the short chapter with not a lot of action, but it'll pick up here soon!**

**We have about four or five chapters left in this story before we start the next one! We inch closer and closer to the finale and the identity of Overlord with every chapter!**

**Remember to leave a review!**

**Follow and favorite it if you want! It'd mean a lot!**

**More to come…**


	16. Showdown

**Hey everyone! Only three chapters left in the story after this one!**

**I just wanted to say that if ANYONE hasn't signed the petitions yet, do so now.**

**Search awsmpup on the site and you'll find them. The reason why some may have not heard of her before is because she hasn't written any KFP fics. Just because some may have not heard of her doesn't mean she doesn't exist.**

**In case this thing does go through, and I don't know when it will or if it will, so will someone kindly leave the date in the reviews section, I just wanted to say that it has been an extreme pleasure writing for you all. Thank you all for supporting me so much with the favorites, follows, reviews, PMs, or just for reading my stories! Special thanks to PenLite1123 for being my biggest fan, Animation Universe 2005 for reviewing and letting me use his OCs (same goes for SpiritualLoneWolf XIII), M4d G4rl and Fox Mcloud SNR for editing some of my chapters, Ninjatiger for always reviewing as well as Quints57. You guys are awesome.**

**Without further ado, I present to you the next, and hopefully not last, chapter of KFP Next Gen: With a Vengeance…**

*With Xin, the next day*

It was now time. The snow leopard was in his prime and was ready to fight Tang. The leopard put on a grey shirt with golden designs all over the front and back, put on some grey pants, strapped a dagger to the left part of his wait, and wrapped his wrists and hands in bandages to protect his hands from the panda's hard skull when he threw a punch.

"Are you ready, Xin?" Overlord asked, walking up to the leopard.

"Of course. I feel amazing and unstoppable." Xin replied, tying a grey bandana around his mouth to partially conceal his face, but it was unneeded since Tang had already seen him once before.

"Excellent. Your father would be proud right now." The figure praised.

"Thank you for everything you've done for me. I appreciate it." The snow leopard stated as he walked towards the door to leave.

"Xin," Overlord called, making him turn back around, "Once you've finished off the young panda, return here. I have a very important question to ask you."

The leopard nodded and exited the building.

*With Overlord*

_Good luck, Xin. You'll need it._

"Plan B is ready." Zina stated, stepping out of the shadows.

"Excellent. Stand by for further orders. I will let you know if it comes to that."

"Very well. I'll look forward to it."

"Care to watch Xin and Tang participate in combat?"

Zina blinked a few times in surprise. "I'd be happy to. What about the other masters and students, though? What will we do if they show up?"

"Jaguar X is taking care of that."

*With Takami*

The Bengal tiger stood by his favorite place to go, the hot springs near the palace, practicing a new technique using fire. Takami stood on top of a ledge and concentrated extremely hard on his task. The tiger leaped off the edge, spun around once, engulfed his hand in a ball of fire, and slammed it into the ground. He then stuck his arms outward quickly, but nothing happened. He tried again, but still no success.

"Why is that not working? It should've—"

Suddenly, a burst of fire shot out of Takami's right hand, making the tiger jump a little.

"Scared one of my nine lives right off of me. Time to try again…"

Takami made his way up to the ledge again and concentrated very hard. He leaped off of the small cliff again and started to plummet to the ground, but suddenly, Takami saw a blue portal open up in front of him and swallow him whole.

The next thing the Bengal tiger knew, he was plummeting towards the earth. Takami flipped once and summoned flames to shield his feet as he slammed into the ground, creating a crater where he landed.

Takami looked around and saw that he was standing in a grassy field, a few miles outside of the valley. The thing that surprised him most, though, was that all of the other students and masters were there also.

"Nice landing, bro. Excellent entrance. Better than mine!" Dega cheered, clapping his hands.

"You fell on your face!" Hope stated.

"I SAID that his landing was better than mine! You didn't have to say that I face planted into the ground!" The tiger lion hissed.

"It was hilarious…" Kiba snickered. "I think I peed myself a little..."

"What happened? How did we get here?" Kovu asked.

Everyone shrugged their shoulders in confusion.

"Well," Kiro stated, rubbing his hands together, "It looks like we got a mystery on our hands! Dega! Search for clues! Lily, do your brainy stuff! I'll manage this whole team! Let's move people!"

Tigress socked Kiro in the shoulder at the end of his rant.

"OW! What'd I do?" The white tiger whined.

"Wait, where's Tang?" Max asked worriedly.

The others looked around also, searching for the young panda, but Tang was nowhere to be found.

"Oh that can't be good." Skyler said.

*With Tang*

"Hello? Anyone here?" Tang called, walking around the palace. "Max? Dega? Zona? Faith? Anyone?"

He quickly realized that everyone had suddenly vanished.

_My birthday isn't for a few months, so they couldn't have planned a surprise party. I wonder where they could've gone? It's not like my overprotective mom to leave me here without_ _supervision...wait. I'm alone! I can do whatever I want! WHOOOOO!_

Tang started running around the palace, taking weapons off of the walls and whirling them around, pretending to fight imaginary bad guys with swords and spears. It wasn't long before the panda noticed a figure in all grey standing at a distance, chuckling softly.

"You are truly an idiot of the highest order, aren't you, Tang?"

The teen recognized that voice. He had fought this guy several days ago.

"Xin? Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" Tang jeered.

"Ah, but panda, I've gotten stronger since last time and I will use my surroundings to help me beat you, like your father did with mine." The leopard responded coolly.

Xin got into his fighting stance and his hands became engulfed in the light blue aura again. This time, however, the snow leopard's eyeballs seemed to disappear as a bright blue light shone out of the sockets.

"That's nasty." Tang stated, getting into his fighting stance.

"Prepare yourself, son of the Dragon Warrior…." Xin snarled. "…or else your death will be quick."

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Three chapters left in this story before it ends!**

**Remember to leave a review and REMEMBER TO SIGN THE PETITIONS!**

**Hopefully I'll see you guys again.**

**If the bill does pass, then I guess this is goodbye.**

**I pray that there will be more to come…**


	17. Author's Note: Car Crash

**Hey everyone.**

**I just wanted to tell you all that I won't be writing for a few days. I got into a car crash about an hour and a half ago and I'm pretty beaten up (mentally and emotionally wise). I have some cuts and bruises, but other than that, I'm fine. Car is completely totaled, but I'm fine in general.**

**I need some time to get back on my feet and get my stuff together. In order to do this, I need to take a brief leave from chapter writing for a few days.**

**Hope you guys understand. It'll suck for me not writing for you all as it will suck for you all not reading new chapters for a few days.**

**Hope all is well with you guys.**

**Best wishes,**

**jweaks2016**


	18. Xin vs Tang

**Hey everyone! Just letting you all know, it'll be a little bit harder to write new chapters every night. Family issues.**

**Anyway, sorry that I can't do what I've normally done for right now, but hopefully in the future I'll be able to write chapters more quickly.**

**Here's the new chapter…**

*With Kai*

"Oooooohhhhhh, I'm so tired!" The orange fox exclaimed, flopping down on his bed.

"You and me both, dude." Sin replied, sitting down in a chair across from his brother.

The two were in their little hut close to the center of town. It wasn't much, but the brothers were able to live comfortably in it while growing their own food a little ways away from the valley walls and getting water from their nearby well. It was mostly made of mud and grass, since the couldn't afford bricks and cement, and not much furniture was around the house except for two cots, a few tables and chairs, and a bookshelf with a few paintings on the walls.

"Don't. Talk to me." Kai fumed. "I've already had enough of you for one day."

"It's not like you to be this way, bro. I was only having fun and making money." The brown and grey fox replied in a cool tone.

"I can't—I just need some time to myself. Some peace and quiet."

"But—"

"Not a word."

"Come on, d—"

"That does it!" Kai exclaimed, standing up. "I'm going to work on our farm for a few hours. Maybe I can find some peace there!"

With that, the orange fox stood up and stormed out of the hut.

*With Tang*

"Well, at least I get to see history repeating itself!" Tang exclaimed, preparing to fight Xin.

"RAH!" The snow leopard roared before charging the panda.

Xin leaped into the air and began to bombard Tang with a series of punches and kicks. The leopard's attacks were strong and quick, making it difficult to block all of them, and soon Tang was being beaten in the face by his opponent.

"An eye for an eye, panda!" Xin cried gleefully before socking Tang in the face, making the panda have a black eye.

Tang regained his balance and positioned himself for a counter attack. As Xin rushed towards him, Tang charged forward and slammed his belly into the leopard, sending his foe flying across the room and slamming into a wall. Xin looked up and saw two metal fighting staffs mounted on the wall. The snow leopard plucked them off of the wall, whirled them around, and slammed them into the ground, making the room shake.

"Hey, how about you and I go down and have a nice meal and talk this out. What do ya say?" Tang chuckled nervously.

"DIE!" Xin shouted, barreling towards the teen.

"I'll take that as a 'maybe.'" Tang exclaimed before jumping into the air and landing on one of the staffs.

Xin snarled and tried to whip the panda off of it, but Tang flipped around, landed on the other staff and roundhouse kicked the cat in the jaw, making Xin drop his weapons.

The leopard smacked into the ground and quickly stood up. He glared at Tang with malice and made his hands glow light blue again.

"Wuh oh." Tang murmured.

Xin took his final charge at Tang.

"FOR…" He shouted, slamming his blue fist into the panda's shoulder.

Pain rocketed through the teen at even the slightest touch of his opponent's attack.

"…MY…"

Another punch to Tang's opposite shoulder made the panda stumble back slightly.

"…FATHER!" Xin finished, clasping both of his fists together and sending a devastating uppercut to Tang's chin, making the panda fly into the air and splash down in the moon pool.

Tang slowly sat up and started coughing, forcing water out of his lungs. "B…bad kitty…no…mi…milk for you…tonight."

"You mock me? Even on your death bed? Pool? Whatever it is you're in? You're stupider than I thought, Tang! I expected more of a fight! Now you die!" Xin sneered, unsheathing his dagger and raising it above his head.

_Use my surroundings…_ Tang thought.

All he was in was a pool.

A pool.

_Wait a minute..._

Tang quickly splashed water at Xin's face, getting the liquid in his foe's eyes, making the leopard shout in surprise. While he was still blinded, Tang jumped up and slammed his knee into Xin's stomach, making the cat drop the dagger and double over in pain. The teen proceeded to send a hard uppercut to Xin's face and triple kick him in the chest, sending the cat flying to the entrance of the main hall.

Tang grabbed a spear and held the sharp tip at Xin's face, which was written with pain and anger as the leopard clutched his stomach.

"It's over, Xin." The panda stated.

"Far from it, panda!" The snow leopard responded.

Xin quickly ignited his hands in blue again and slammed one fist into the spear shaft, making it break. The cat used his other hand to grab the broken part of the spear that held the sharp edge and slam it into Tang, making the panda shout in agony. Xin quickly pinned the hero to the ground and twisted the spear in the warrior's wound.

"Over you say?" Xin seethed. "This is over when you're dead!"

"Or…when…you die…first!" Tang spat before kicking Xin off of him, pulling the spearhead out, and launching it at the snow leopard.

Tang's foe dodged to his left, but cried out in pain when the spear slashed the upper part of his arm. He was too weak to continue fighting now.

"You may think you have won, panda! But Overlord has a plan! He ALWAYS has a plan!" Xin shot hysterically before running out of the palace.

The exhausted Tang stood in place for a moment or two before collapsing to the ground and sighing heavily.

_I have a feeling that this won't be the last time I see him._ The teen thought.

"TANG!"

The panda looked up sleepily and saw his family and friends running towards him.

"What the heck happened here? ARE YOU WOUNDED?" Sierra cried.

"I's jus' a flesh woun'." Tang stumbled, before passing out.

*Ten minutes later*

Tang slowly woke to the sound of Max, Dega, Lily, and Ryo talking in the room.

"Big bro!" Max exclaimed.

"Little bro!" Dega cheered back.

"Best friend!"

"Bester friend!"

"Fist bump!"

"Coming in!"

The two cracked up as the fist bumped each other and then started talking about food.

Lily was busy explaining the newest leap in knowledge to Ryo, who had his hand propping up his head as he was falling asleep.

"Good morning…" Tang mumbled.

"Well, welcome back to the land of the living, Sandman!" Dega exclaimed, patting his friend on his wounded shoulder by mistake.

"OW!" Tang cried out.

"Oops. Sorry, man." The tiger lion apologized.

*With Sin*

_What the heck is taking Kai so long? He's been gone for more than a couple of hours! I'm gonna check on him._

As the brown and grey fox made his way through the valley, his thoughts drifted to Lupa and how he would tell her what he really was. A criminal. It would tear her apart, that much he knew, but he couldn't bear the weight of not telling her whenever he saw her.

Soon, he was approaching the farm outside of the valley. The plantations and fields were growing their different types of vegetables while the orchards were busy growing fresh fruit. The shabby old grey tool shed stood about a hundred feet away from the fields, and Sin noticed that the door was slightly open.

Walking up to the cabin, he noticed that a symbol of two intertwined snakes was carved into the wooden door.

_That wasn't there before…_ Sin though, growing slightly worried.

The fox pushed open the door to find his brother, bound to a chair with a gag in his mouth.

A dagger stuck out from where Kai's heart was in his chest.

Sin rushed over and quickly checked his brother's vitals to see if Kai was still alive.

But it was too late.

Kai was dead.


	19. Only the Beginning

**Hey everyone! I've decided to condense the third chapter I was gonna write into this past chapter and this one. So, this will be the final chapter of the story before I start the next one in a few days.**

**Shocking ending of that last chapter, huh? Well, we're just getting started with the surprises…**

**Enjoy…**

*With Po, a couple of days later*

The funeral for Kai was a few days later, but Sin didn't attend. The grey and brown fox said that he had some investigating to do on his brother's murder and would be preoccupied for a while.

Lupa attempted to give the closing statement at the funeral, but broke down in tears before she could finish. Arizona and Musaki had to help her down from the podium and back in her seat.

All who knew Kai were either somber or were crying. The sky was painted with dark clouds and it felt like it could rain at any moment. The tree branches seemed to droop a little that day and there was not a breeze of wind in the air, making it seem like the grass was slumped over. It looked like all of the happiness was sucked out of the world now that the orange fox was gone.

It was truly a sad day for the heroes and masters of the Jade Palace.

_I'll find out who did this, no matter what._ The Dragon Warrior thought.

*With Overlord, the next day*

"The first part of plan B has already been taken care of. Now that we have no more worries about…that situation. Move on to the second and final step." The figure in black commanded.

"Of course, Overlord." Zina replied, bowing to her master and exiting the room.

"I'm…sorry that I lost to the panda yet again." Xin apologized, putting his head in his hands and sighing.

"Do not apologize to me, leopard. I want you on my team. You have amazing abilities and I would like to have you on my side." Overlord responded, turning to the disappointed cat.

"But, I failed!" The snow leopard stated.

"Dear Xin, you did not fail…You merely delayed success!" The figure assured, grinning.

Xin thought about the offer for a moment or two and then gave Overlord his answer.

"I accept."

*With Po*

The Dragon Warrior had decided to go see his dad today. The day after tomorrow was when Mr. Ping was supposed to be discharged from the hospital, and Po wanted to see how the goose was holding up.

After making his way up the steps, Po found his father's room and walked in.

"Hey, Dad."

The goose woke up and looked at his son. "Oh, hello, Po!"

*With Zina*

The black tiger walked up to her destination and sighed. This was the place.

After quickly carving Overlord's symbol of two intertwined snakes on the door like she was instructed, Zina entered the building and started to make her way to her destination, planting explosives along the way and setting the dial for each explosion.

*With Po*

"…Well, I guess that's all that I had to say! I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing!" Po stated before getting up and heading towards the door.

"I appreciate you stopping in, Son! I just can't wait to get back to my noodle shop!" Mr. Ping said excitedly.

Po chuckled, said his goodbye, and walked out of the room.

_I'm glad Dad will be alright. That's one less thing I have to worry about._ The Dragon Warrior thought as he made his way out of the hospital.

The grandmaster of the Jade Palace was preoccupied with such thoughts as he walked out of the hospital.

So entranced, in fact, that he didn't realize the symbol of two intertwined snakes that had been carved ten minutes earlier on the hospital door.

*With Zina*

The tiger sighed before she pushed open the door to Mr. Ping's room and sat down across from him. The goose was obviously startled to see her, but was also confused as to her identity.

"I don't believe we've met before. Do I know you?" The goose asked.

"Yes," Zina replied, carefully placing a bomb under her chair and setting the dial, "I am an old…acquaintance…of your son's. We knew each other from way back when. I just wanted to see how you were doing. I heard about your incident."

"Oh, I'm doing well, thank you for asking. What is your name? How did you meet Po?"

"My name is Zina, and I met your son on one of his missions. We…got well acquainted soon enough." The black cat replied coolly. "I'm sorry, but I have a very busy schedule. I just wanted to see how you were holding up."

"Oh, it's quite alright! I always love getting visits from Po's friends! Thank you for stopping in!" Mr. Ping called before Zina exited the room and left the hospital.

*With Po, ten minutes later*

As the Dragon Warrior reached the top of the steps, he pushed open the doors to the palace courtyard and walked towards the palace entrance. He stopped when he noticed a tattered latter pinned to the door by a dagger.

Po tore off the letter and squinted at the four words, then he widened his eyes, dropped the note, and started to sprint towards the village.

But he was too late.

An explosion sounded in the distance and Po looked on in sadness and horror as he saw debris and rubble go flying into the sky where the hospital was. Soon, flames started to pour out of the building and smoke started to flow from the damaged building. Cries and screams rang out from the village below as pedestrians ran around in panic.

Po dropped to his knees and began to sob.

The letter pinned to the door floated to the ground beside the Dragon Warrior.

The letter said: Your goose is cooked.

*With Overlord, five days later*

The figure in black stood on the Jade Palace roof and looked through the slits in his cracked dragon mask at the funeral for the old noodle maker. Almost everyone in the valley had shown up for the panda's dad's funeral.

A light breeze hung in the air that day and the sun shone through the small gaps in the clouds. The whole valley was silent, making the winds seem deafening, even though they were minor.

As the figure in black looked out upon the mass of people gathered for Mr. Ping's goodbye, one thought hung in his mind.

_We're not done yet, panda. Not by a long shot._ Overlord thought._ This is only the beginning._

**There it is! The end of the story!**

**I'll start the next one in a few days! Be on the lookout for it! It'll be called KFP Next Gen 2: Assassin's Strike.**

**Remember to leave a review telling me what you thought of the story!**

**I'll see you guys real soon!**

**More to come…**


	20. Next Time on KFP Next Gen

**Hey everyone! I've decided to try something new. In the next story, the first chapter I post will be a "previously on _" with a summary of the last story to draw in any new readers who didn't start from the beginning. Also, the last chapter I'll do will be a "next time on _", which will foreshadow the events to come in the next story.**

**Also, I'm thinking of doing an alternate ending for the series when it comes time for that, letting you guys pick what ending you want.**

**Enjoy the sneak peak!**

*Next time, on KFP Next Gen*

"Zina is out there and I'm SURE that she's behind my dad's murder and maybe Kai's as well!" Po exclaimed.

"You don't know her skill level now, Po. She could be stronger than you." Tigress warned.

"That's a chance I have to take!" The panda responded before walking off.

* * *

"You do realize that by killing his father, the Dragon Warrior will bring the hammer down on all of us." Jaguar X stated calmly.

"Just let me worry about that for now. I have a plan." Overlord replied.

* * *

Kiro spread out his sketches of the two intertwined serpents on the table and studied each one closely.

_There must be a connection with these symbols…_ The white tiger thought.

* * *

"Doesn't this seem dangerous to you?" Lily asked with worry as she got into the slingshot outline.

"Is there a tiny voice in the back of your head telling you not to do this?" Dega asked.

"Yes."

"Tell it to shut up, 'cause we're DOING THIS THING!" The tiger lion cheered, hopping into the slingshot.

* * *

"I'm worried about Tang," Takami stated, "He hasn't been himself since Mr. Ping died."

"We'd better keep an eye on him. Agreed?" Ryo added.

"Agreed." The rest of the Elemental Hazards replied.

* * *

"Now's your time to strike, Zina. I want to see whatever you've got planned for those heroes. In the meantime, I'm gonna have a little chat with Tang." Overlord stated before walking off.

* * *

"Hey, Lupa? You got a minute? I need to ask you something…" Zan said nervously.

"Sure, Zan. What's on your mind?" The female tiger lion replied cheerfully, walking up to him.

_Here goes nothing…_ The younger avian thought.

* * *

Kidduo took one of his pistols out of its holster and started walking down the hallway. His mind was filled with murderous thoughts and his eyes were glazed over as he made his way over to kill the unsuspecting master of the Jade Palace.

**There it is! The little teaser for you guys! Hope you all are excited for the next story!**

**I'm gonna edit the chapters of this story to make them just the way I like them before I start writing for the next story, so it'll be about a week before the new story comes out.**

**Remember to leave a review!**

**I'll see you all real soon!**

**More to come…**


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